Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer
by Kyla Mizuki
Summary: Draco Malfoy... Death Eater? Instead of taking the Dark Mark, he flees. As he tries to cope with his father's new hate for him, he must learn to get along with those of the Light Side. What he didn't expect was falling for Harry Potter... [HPDM]
1. Chapter 1

Kyla: Alright, I rewrote some of this so I could try to keep the story from being AU, so read on.

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter One  
by  
Kyla Mizuki

"Please, Father," a young blond boy pleaded helplessly up to his father, the one he had been raised to be like. The only thing is, Draco Malfoy could not be Lucius Malfoy... Lucius was heartless and didn't particularly care to kill or torture others, but Draco couldn't take it. Sure, he picked on his classmates at Hogwarts, but he'd never done any of the things his father had done, and now, the young Malfoy was standing on trembly knees. He gazed imploringly with silver eyes at the man he called father. "Don't make me, please," the boy begged, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

"You will do as your told, Draco, and you will like it. I do not want to hear any complaint, do you understand?" Lucius inquired coldly, not even really caring that his son was trembling in fear.

"But, father, I," Draco began to stammer again, but a resounding slap and a sharp pain in his cheek caused him to fall into a startled silence. Gingerly, he touched his cheek. He couldn't believe his father had just slapped him.

"No buts, Draco," Lucius hissed with narrowed gray eyes, acting as if he had not just slapped his son, "you _will_ perform this task, and you _will not _complain! You've been raised to serve the Dark Lord." He then grabbed Draco by the scruff of the boy's wrinkle-free robe and began to drag Draco after him.

Lucius drug Draco downstairs to the foyer to wait for the Dark Lord to arrive and give Draco his task while the teenager continued to beg and plead, but Lucius scowled at the way the boy was acting and slapped him again. "Silence, you will do this. If you disgrace me, so help me you'll face my wrath, and you know how unreasonable I can be when I'm angry," he sneered at his son, who had become even paler than he normally was. "Now, stop this useless begging and act like the Malfoy you're supposed to be," he demanded and glared at the boy in warning.

Biting his lip in worry, Draco fell silent, forcing himself to calm down. He didn't want to anger his father, nor the Dark Lord, who had just arrived to be cordially greeted by Lucius and Draco, who had wiped all remains of emotion from his face.

"So," Voldemort turned to look at Draco, "are you ready for your task, young Draco?" the Dark Lord sneered as Death Eaters followed their master inside and crowded around the Malfoys and Voldemort.

"Yes, sir," Draco made himself say in a polite tone. He didn't want to disappoint his father, but he wasn't sure if he could do this...

Voldemort nodded and snapped at the group of Death Eaters, "Bring the girl out!"

There was the scuffling footsteps of two Death Eaters as they stepped from the group and tossed a bushy-haired girl to the floor at Draco's feet. It was one weak and very frightened Hermione Granger. Her gaze snapped up to meet Draco's, her eyes pleading with him, begging him to help her, but he couldn't. Why did it have to be her though?

"Draco, you're task is to kill this mudblood," Voldemort smirked down at the girl, who turned her terrified gaze to him.

"She's not worth my time," Draco tried to stall for time. He couldn't do this. He couldn't kill her. Sure, he wasn't fond of her, but he couldn't kill her. That was too extreme.

"Oh, she isn't, is she?" Voldemort asked coldly, and Draco could feel his father's furious glare burning into his back, and his grip on his wand tightened slightly.

"No, she isn't," Draco said more firmly. He didn't have to like her, but he couldn't just kill her. She'd never done anything to him personally. He'd just been mean to her to spite Harry Potter, but looking down at her now, begging him to help her, he couldn't stand it... He wasn't heartless, well, not that heartless anyway.

"And neither are you if you do not kill the girl," Lucius hissed in my ear, furious at how I was behaving.

Draco gulped. His father had an awful temper, and Draco hated to be on the receiving end of that anger, but could it really be that easy? To lift his wand and kill Hermione with two quick words? How would he feel afterwards? He was sure the guilt would drive him insane, but he couldn't let his father down. He wanted to be a son that Lucius would be proud of. Draco had wanted to become just like his father when he was younger, but after seeing how Lucius acted, he had quickly changed his mind. If only he could change out of this family just as fast.

Hermione tried to speak, but she never could. A silencing charm had been cast on her, and she could only watch as Draco Malfoy was told to kill her. She seemed to notice that Draco really didn't want to kill her, and it surprised her, but she didn't complain. She could see Draco was trying to figure a way to get her out, but would he pull through? He was in Slytherin, after all. He was witty and strong, but Slytherins were not known for their bravery.

"Come now, young Draco, you're father had already killed before he was your age. It's really not that hard," Voldemort sneered down at the blond boy.

Draco muttered something, but no one could hear what he said. When the dark lord told him to speak louder, the Slytherin gripped his wand tighter and mumbled, "I'm not like," his voice trailing off into more inaudible muttering.

"Speak up, boy!" Lucius finally snapped and rapped his son hard with the cane the elder Malfoy carried with him.

With a hiss, Draco willed himself not to break away and run for it. If he did, he might as well say good bye to his life. If Voldemort didn't kill him, then his own father sure would. He bit anxiously on his lip and hung on for as long as he could, but he came to the conclusion that he could not go through with this. There had to be some other way...

Gritting his teeth, Draco took a deep breath before screaming, "I'm not like my father!" He dashed forward and grabbed Hermione by her arm, yanking her along behind him as he broke through the crowd of Death Eaters, the dark lord furiously yelling at his followers to attack and kill both the Hogwarts students.

As he raced down the hall, Hermione in tow, and around a sharp corner, he heard the Dark Lord's angry voice hiss, "Get him! Go after him, you fools!" The sound of footsteps coming closer sent adrenaline pumping through his veins as he put on another burst of speed. He wasn't even thinking now. He was too focused on just getting out of the house and escaping the Death Eaters and a furious Dark Lord.

The cloaked witches and wizards behind him began shooting spells of any kind at Hermione and Draco when they came within range. Death Eaters fired the Unforgivable curses and many other dangerous and violent spells they knew. One managed to rip a bad gash across his back, and Draco stumbled as a result, falling to his knees as he panted. But the sound of the Death Eaters approaching quickly forced Draco back onto his feet and into a run once again. He felt Hermione wince now and then and knew that they had to get away somehow.

He ran and ran, pulling Hermione along, and eventually the sounds of their followers disappeared, but he dared not stop, unsure of what might happen if he did. He had no idea where he was, and he kept on running until he collapsed from exhaustion, his body aching in protest at such a long run like that. Breaths came in quick pants, and the blond boy released his grip on Hermione and curled up into a fetal position to try and relax.

Needless to say, Hermione was shocked. Draco had refused to kill her and had even saved her! The blond had helped her escape. When he finally collapsed, clearly tired, she set an arm on his shoulder. He looked up at her with weary gray eyes. With a struggle of effort, he pointed his wand at her and muttered the counter spell that would allow Hermione to be able to speak.

"Malfoy, I," Hermione began, shocked, while Draco numbly let his wand hand drop back onto the ground. "You... why?"

"Do you always have to know everything, Granger?" Draco smirked lightly before falling into unconsciousness with a small sigh.

Hermione shook her head, a soft smile growing on her face. She tried to clean the blond's wounds up a little then attempted to care for her own wounds she had received. The bandaging wasn't perfect, but it would have to do until they could get some help. Then, she heard it: a rustling in the trees. Wide eyes looked around carefully. She could hear Lucius' angry voice...

In a panic, the Gryffindor quietly pulled Draco over to a bush and hid him in the underbrush. She could lure the Death Eaters away, escape, and find help, then come get Draco. Squaring her shoulders, she was set and determined. She made a run through the trees, and instantly, the Death Eaters were on her heels. Lucius was about to chase after them, but he stilled when he saw a wand, Draco's wand laying innocently on the ground. With a evil sneer, he picked it up and broke it before letting it fall to the ground in two pieces. Then, the elder Malfoy chased after his fellow Death Eaters. They wanted to catch up to Draco and Hermione. Little did they know, they had ran right past Draco, who was half aware of what was going on.

Draco had been awoken by his father's voice, and the young blond became terrified. He couldn't move his body, even if he'd had the courage to. He was just plain exhausted. The satisfied chuckle of his father and the breaking of a wooden stick, his wand, made Draco realize what was going on. _What does that mudblood think she's doing?_ He mentally asked himself. He was very grateful, but what was he to do now? Wait and let the Death Eaters find him?

Out of the forest's foliage suddenly stepped a figure, and Draco shuddered when he felt a hand being set on his shoulder as he cried out a small whine. He knew he must look particularly pathetic, but what was he to do? He had given up; anyone could tell by just looking into his lost, lifeless gray eyes that fluttered open just long enough to gaze up at the mysterious figure who had found him. He hadn't even his wand to attempt to protect himself with and his cloak and clothes were torn and shabby-looking. He blacked out as the mystery person moved to pick him up.

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Kyla: Hope I didn't confuse anyone too much with me switching and changing some things... xP 


	2. Chapter 2

Kyla: New chapter 2, ppl, so don't skip if you've read through chapter four! Just thought I'd letcha know. XP

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Two  
by  
Kyla Mizuki

Hermione had been running for what seemed like hours, and Death Eaters still chased after her. She was wearing herself thin by firing off so many spells over her shoulder as she ran. She had to do something, but what?

A hand shot out and grabbed hold of her, pulling her sideways into the underbrush. As she opened her mouth wide to scream, another hand slapped over her lips. Severus Snape's head swam into view out of the darkness, and he hissed, "Quiet!" He waited for the pursuing Death Eaters to pass by, still running in the direction they thought Hermione was heading. "Now, I'm going to release you, but you mustn't scream nor run, got it?" When he saw her nod, he sighed and let go of her.

"Professor," Hermione whispered frantically, somewhat afraid of the potions master. He was the one who had killed Dumbledore, had he not?

"Come along, Ms. Granger," Severus said quietly, "we must get you away from here." He took hold of the girl's arm and pulled her along behind him as he snaked through the forest, hardly making a sound.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked quietly. Branches and bushes whipped at the two while they made their way through the foliage, and now and then, Death Eaters could be heard rustling around. So, the young witch made sure she spoke very soft, so as not to be heard by the pursuing Death Eaters.

"Just stay silent and follow me," Severus said irritated. He continued to weave himself and the Gryffindor through more trees.

To Hermione, it seemed like they were running in circles. "Professor, didn't we pass that rock earlier?" she asked frowning. There was an oddly shaped rock that she distinctly remembered passing before.

"Hush," Severus hissed and hurried his pace, getting anxious. The older wizard just hoped that the port key was still there. They were almost to the correct location, only to come to an abrupt halt when Death Eaters could be heard ahead. With an annoyed growl, Severus veered to the right suddenly, jerking a confused and frightened Hermione behind him. He ducked into some underbrush, tugging the young witch to sit down beside him. He motioned for her to be quiet, and she nodded.

"Where did they go?" a Death Eater asked his companion as they stopped and looked around, their heads barely in view of Hermione and Severus, who watched with baited breath.

"I don't know, but they can't be far," the second dark-cloaked figure shrugged. "Let's keep looking, or else the Dark Lord will kill us in place of them." With that, the two Death Eaters jogged off, keeping an eye out for the ones they were chasing.

Severus put a finger to his lips as a sign to stay quiet, then he crept silently away, carefully pushing branches out of his way, Hermione crawling along behind him, the twigs and branches catching and snagging in her bushy brown hair. She winced but stayed quiet, not wanting to attract the attention of the Dark Lord's followers; instead, she gently untangled her hair and kept on following Severus.

A sharp, quiet curse from Severus startled Hermione. She moved to sit next to him and followed the older man's gaze to see what he was looking at. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth. There was the Dark Lord himself. Severus gave her a glare, warning her to not say a word, and in understanding, she nodded slightly.

"Ah, I see," Voldemort sneered from the middle of a small group of his followers, "a port key." He waved his wand, and an old, plastic cup floated into the air for all to see. "It seems someone has planned ahead."

Severus mind raced. He had to figure something out. Maybe he could distract them? No, the Dark Lord would know it was him, and he needed to remain in Voldemort's good books. Perhaps... "Stay here," Severus whispered, and without waiting for a response from Hermione, he left her on her own. "My Lord," he ran into view of the Death Eaters and Voldemort, "what is going on? What has happened?" he asked. His cover was that he had been at his manor, making potions and such for the Dark Lord, when in reality, he was snooping around some.

"Young Draco has refused to obey me and ran off with one of Harry Potter's friends we had captured," Voldemort stated angrily. He narrowed his eyes at Severus, trying to break into the potions master's mind, but Severus managed to keep the Dark Lord at bay. Voldemort was getting pretty suspicious about the potions master.

"So I take it you are out here looking for them," Severus said more than asked.

"Yes, they can't have gotten far, and now that we have found this port key, they're trapped," Voldemort smirked, indicating to the still floating cup with a swish of his hand.

"Most clever, my lord," Severus murmured, bowing, and let a small smirk play on his lips. He had to play along for now. "I think the two saw you here and ran north," he added swiftly, face hardening, "I hope you have Death Eaters stationed north."

"Really now," Voldemort came to stand in front of Severus, peering down into the potions master's eyes in search of lies.

"Yes, my lord," Severus answered, keeping his ground and not trying to avoid eye contact. He could feel Voldemort attempting to tear into his mind, but he kept up a blockade, no matter how painful it was to keep the Dark Lord from his thoughts. He had always prided himself on being successful in blocking out others attempts to peer into his mind, and he wasn't about to stop.

"Very well," Voldemort nodded and turned around, "young Blaise, stay here and watch the port key. If Draco or the girl come anywhere close, kill them. I'll return shortly. The rest of you, follow me." Voldemort then headed off north, Death Eaters trailing along behind him.

Severus was the last to leave, but he didn't hesitate, for fear the Dark Lord would realize what was going on. He looked at Blaise, to the bush Hermione was hiding in, back to Blaise and nodded before following the group of Death Eaters.

Blaise nodded at Severus's back and stood still, waiting for the heavily cloaked figures to disappear. When the last Death Eater was out of sight, the young Slytherin pulled back the hood of his cloak. "Hey, Granger, you there?" he whispered loud enough so anyone within a few feet would hear.

Hermione stayed quiet. She thought this was some sort of trap. Why had she even trusted Severus? He had led her straight to Voldemort and his followers!

"Granger, get out here, now," Blaise hissed, "hurry, before the Dark Lord comes back!" He waited another minute or two impatiently before sighing and strutting over to the bush, where he pulled Hermione out of the underbrush and brought the struggling girl over to the plastic cup that now lay discarded on the ground. "Stop struggling," Blaise grunted as he tried to keep the muggle-born from running, "we need to go!"

"Let me go," Hermione demanded angrily, struggling hard and wriggling to escape.

"Relax," Blaise muttered, "we're going to run, get away from here."

Hermione calmed in the Slytherin's grip. "What?" She looked at Blaise anxiously.

Blaise rolled his eyes and repeated, "We're going to run."

"Where to? To Voldemort?" Hermione snapped and started struggling again, happy when Blaise winced at the sound of the Dark Lord's name.

"No, of course not the Dark Lord! Do you have a death wish?" Blaise seethed and tried to keep the girl from getting away. "This is why I hate muggle-borns," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else, but it was enough to stop Hermione's struggles.

"Why?" she asked coldly.

"If you were of pure blood, you would know that we always keep our word, and I swear we are going to escape the Dark Lord," Blaise said scowling. Honestly, muggle-borns could be so disrespectful, thought Blaise.

"Alright, where are we going then?" Hermione inquired, seeing what he would say, then she would worry about running.

"Grimmauld Place," Blaise whispered in her ear after glancing around cautiously.

"But, that would mean," Hermione frowned and her statement trailed off into the quiet of the forest.

"Yeah, I'm really on the side of the light," Blaise sighed, "can we go now? I don't want the Dark Lord to come back before we've left." He was already dragging her over to the port key, not bothering to wait on an answer. "Now, grab hold of it," he said, and reached for the cup, "or be left behind and let You-Know-Who kill you, no skin off my back."

Hermione glared at the Slytherin but reached out to touch the plastic cup just as Blaise did. With a swift lurch, the two were gone from the forest, instead landing right in front of Grimmauld Place. Blaise hurried inside, dragging Hermione behind him. As soon as the door was shut, Order members rushed in to greet them, and Sirius's mother started her screeching. Blaise just leaned against the door and slid down to sit on the floor. "I got away from him," he sighed truimphantly and held his face in his hands, clearly relieved.

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Kyla: Onto chapter three! Aha! xD 


	3. Chapter 3

Kyla: If this is confusing, please let me know... I don't know how well these chapters go to and from one another, so if it doesn't make a lot of sense, please let me know so I can fix it. Sorry.

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Three  
by  
Kyla Mizuki

In the early hours of the morning and just a few weeks into his summer holiday, Harry Potter woke with a start, pain savagely ripping through his forehead where his famous scar was. The boy gritted his teeth and waited for the pain to recede. Once the ache had left him, his mind began to process the dream he had had... Or maybe it wasn't a dream... "I was seeing things through Voldemort's eyes.. again," he groaned quietly and climbed out of bed to walk over to the window and look up at the full moon that hung in the midnight sky. "What had it been about?" he asked himself, thinking hard. "Voldemort was... in a good mood, then all of a sudden, he was angry..."

A particularly loud snore from Dudley in the next room brought Harry out of his confused thoughts, and with a sigh, the brunette returned to bed, falling into a fitful sleep. And soon, everyone in the house was slumbering once again...

"And in the news today, we have a shocking story," the news reporter on the local cable channel announced over the television. Most in Privet Drive watch the news every morning at around nine o'clock., and the Dursleys were no different. Vernon and Petunia Dursley would settle themselves in the sitting room while Dudley Dursley, their son, went out with his friends to go rob and beat some kids up, but of course Dudley's parents didn't know about any of that.

Harry, on the other hand, was forced to hide in a bush under the sitting room window, which was open on that fine summer day to allow a nice soft breeze to enter into the house. He kept a close watch on what was going on in the world around him, not wanting to be caught off guard. So he kept his ears open for anything suspicious on the news. The main story of the day almost instantly caught his attention; so much so that he risked sneaking a glance at the television through the window.

"Apparently, a young blond boy was found beaten and bloody about 20 miles west of Surrey. He was found by a photographer who had been in the secluded area to snap some pictures of wildlife. Surrey, being the closest town at the time, was where the photographer decided to bring the boy. The youth was unconscious before he even arrived at the hospital and has yet to wake up. We have no names, seeing as he had no I.D. on him. What's even stranger is that he seemed to be in a cloak for some reason... Perhaps he thought it was almost Halloween, but either way, we managed to get a shot of him once he was settled into a hospital room."

Harry peeked over curiously, and his breath caught in his throat. The picture that flashed on the screen showed a prone figure laying unconscious on a hospital bed, blond locks of hair pointing up in every direction wildly, and Harry could see bandages wrapped around his chest and arms under the hospital gown. Even in the state the blond was in, Harry could tell that it was none other than Draco Malfoy.

"If anyone knows anything about this boy, please contact the authorities or doctors at the hospital as soon as possible," the news caster concluded her story then said, "And today, in Sports, we have..."

Harry didn't stick around to hear about sports. Instead, he quietly slipped back into the house and hurried upstairs to his room. As he had passed by the sitting room, he heard Vernon and Petunia conversing in harsh whispers, being sure to remember the open window and the possibility of eavesdropping neighbors. The two knew that the boy on the news was a wizard, and they were furious and sat quietly insulting him. With a snort, Harry ignored them and made his way to his room.

He pulled on a too big coat the Dursleys had "graciously" given him then managed to sneak out of the house. He was heading for the hospital. What better way to find out what was going on than ask Draco Malfoy?

"Hello," Harry said politely to the receptionist behind the front counter as he walked into the hospital.

"Hi, can I help you?" she inquired with an Irish accent. She looked up at him with a polite smile and waited patiently.

"Yes, actually... That boy that was brought here last night? The blond found about 20 miles off? Which room is he in? I came to visit him," Harry said just as politely.

"Oh, do you know the boy, sir?" the woman asked in surprise.

Harry's mind raced for a fast but suitable answer, then he grinned at her and answered, "We've... met before."

"Could you wait just a moment, please?" the receptionist asked as her hand wandered over to the phone that sat atop her desk. When she saw Harry nod, she smiled and picked up the receiver, phoning a doctor to tell him someone who knew the mysterious blond was in the waiting room.

Harry absently looked around while he waited. He didn't really know why they even had an Emergency Room... There were people just sitting scattered everywhere in the room, some muttering about having been there for hours already. With a mental grunt, Harry thought, _What's the point of having an "Emergency Room" if even an emergency has to wait HOURS for medical attention?_ All of a sudden, the receptionist's voice brought him back to reality, and he looked back at her. "I'm sorry. I wasn't listening, what did you say?"

The woman didn't seem angry though. She patiently repeated what she had said moments ago, "Doctor Kaya would like to speak with you. Second floor, third door on your left." She smiled brightly and waved as Harry made his way over to the elevator.

With a ding, the elevator doors slid open, clambering shut again as Harry stepped off. Around him, he heard patients, nurses, and doctors talking amongst themselves, and the Golden Boy mentally counted the doors on his left as he passed. When he came to the third door, he knocked akwardly.

"Come on in," a soft feminine voice called from inside the room.

Harry cautiously twisted the nob and pushed open the door. The room before him was a basic office, and behind an oak desk stood a petite woman with brown hair and bright blue eyes. "Hello," he greeted nervously and stepped fully into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Hey, have a seat," the woman—Doctor Kaya, Harry supposed—motioned for him to seat himself in a cushy chair in front of her desk. Harry did as he was told and remained silent, waiting for the doctor to speak next. "So, are you the boy who knows our mysterious patient?" she asked grinning. She leaned back against her desk, a clipboard and pen in hand.

"Yeah," Harry muttered, not sure what she wanted to talk to him about.

"Oh, don't be so tense," Kaya giggled then picked a small bowl up and gestured to Harry with it, "Lemon Drop?"

Harry was suddenly reminded of Dumbledore, and his heart ached dully in his chest, memories of the Headmaster's death thrusting themselves back into the forefront of his mind. About to be sick, Harry only shook his head no in answer.

Kaya seemed concern, but decided to try and change the subject. "Anyway, what's your name? And what information can you give me about the boy?" she asked, setting the candy bowl down and steadied her pen.

"My name is Harry. Harry Potter," Harry introduced himself first, watching Kaya scrawl the information onto the clipboard, "And the boy's name is Draco Malfoy. He's about a month or so older than I am. He's 17 at the moment. I will be 17 this month," he said, referring to his birthday on July 31, which was just a few days away. Then he confessed, "Other than that, I don't really know."

"Well, that bit has indeed been helpful though. At least now we can call him by his name," Kaya laughed, "Thank you, Mr. Potter."

"No problem," Harry replied with a smile.

"So, would you like to go see Mr. Malfoy now?" Kaya asked, "He should be waking up soon."

Harry said sure, and the two left the office, boarding the elevator and riding it up to the 5th floor, where they got off. They made their way down a long hallway to one of the very last rooms on that floor. Coming to a halt in front of a white door, Harry read the number 516. "He's right in this room" Kaya told him and opened the door to walk in.

Harry stood uncomfortably outside the door. What was he doing here? For all he knew, this could be a trap. The Golden Boy thought for sure that Draco was a Death Eater... He had almost killed... Shaking the anxious thoughts from his mind, he took a deep, calming breath and walked in, silently shutting the door behind him.

"See there? Told you he'd be waking up soon," Kaya chuckled and indicated to the moaning blond on the bed. "Good evening, Mr. Malfoy, how are you feeling?" she asked kindly, smiling down at the blond.

Draco jumped to a sitting position with wide, fearful eyes. The sharp movement reminded him of his injuries, however, as he cried out in pain, his eyes watering, and fell back onto the bed with a dull thump, causing him to yelp again. He squeezed his gray eyes shut and groaned before cautiously reopening his eyes and glancing around.

"Where am I?" Draco demanded, clearly afraid to wake up and find himself somewhere he'd never been before. He tried to back away as the doctor reached out to touch his shoulder. "Back off, Mudblood! Get away from me!" he shouted, covering his fear with anger.

Kaya watched concerned as Draco struggled to sit up and get away from her. And she was also confused. What had the boy just called her? Mudblood... what was that? "I'm going to have to ask you to calm down, Mr. Malfoy," she said sternly and reached out for him again.

"How do you know my name? What am I doing here? Let go!" Draco exclaimed as Kaya managed to set her hand on the distraught boy's shoulder. He slapped the hand away, and glared at her, then winced violently as the white bandages on his chest and arms began to turn crimson. "Ow..." He moaned and limply fell back into the sheets, eyes shut tight.

"Calm down, Draco," Harry said, calling Draco by his first name, so the doctor wouldn't get too suspicious, though she really had no reason to be suspicious. It wasn't like Harry had lied to her any. He merely said that he had met Draco before, which he had, about six years ago, so it wasn't really a lie...

"Potter?" Draco looked over to the Golden Boy and scowled, "What are you doing here? What in the world is going on here?" He didn't see why Harry was there... All he remembered was.. He gasped suddenly, remembering what had happened before he had blacked out. "Oh..." It wasn't a question, really. He sent a death glare down at the sheets that covered his legs.

"You're in the hospital," Harry stated bluntly. "A photographer found you last night about 20 miles from here. You were pretty badly injured."

Kaya could tell that Harry wanted to talk to Draco in private about something, so she excused herself to go check on some of her other patients.

"What? I'm a MUGGLE hospital? Why!?"Draco thundered angrily and once again tried to sit up, only to be stopped by a sharp pain in his back. He let out a pained cry then gingerly lied back down.

"Stop it with the muggle and mudblood comments, Malfoy," Harry hissed quietly at Draco, "and don't shout!"

"Make me, Potter," Draco drawled. He still acted haughty, and it annoyed Harry deeply; Draco could tell. "What are you even here for? I thought you hated me," the blond smirked at Harry.

"Don't worry. I still hate you, but I came to see what was going on. Voldemort was on such an emotional rollercoaster last night. He was happy, then he was furious. Suddenly, you show up not 20 miles away. Anything suspicious about that, hm?" Harry snapped, "I figured a Death Eater like you would know what was going on."

Draco's smirk fell away. "I am not a Death Eater," he stated coldly. Just because his father was a Death Eater, everyone automatically assumed that Draco was a follower of the Dark Lord as well. Sure, Draco loved his father; he cared for him deeply and just wanted his father to be proud of him, but he WAS different than his father.

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Kyla: Well, guess you can just go right along to the next chapter... lol. 


	4. Chapter 4

Kyla: Hopefully this is all going good... I'm half awake right now.. lol.

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Four  
by  
Kyla Mizuki

"Not a Death Eater, eh?" Harry scowled, "You almost killed... Dumbledore," he said the last word quietly and averted his eyes to the floor, arms crossed moodily over his chest.

"But, I didn't," Draco said in defense of himself, "It was Snape who killed that muggle-loving old coot."

Harry's emerald eyes flashed angrily, and he reached forward to grab the scruff of the blond's hospital gown. "Don't you dare say things like that," he whispered in a eerily dangerous voice.

"Who's going to stop me? Surely not you," Draco snorted and pushed Harry away after getting the Golden Boy's grip off him.

"Care to see?" Harry snapped and drew his wand in less than five seconds. He aimed it straight at Draco's face, right between those suddenly frightened gray eyes.

"Y-you're all talk," Draco stuttered and tripped over his words here and there as he tried to back up until his back was against the head of the bed. Harry's wand followed the Slytherin's movements carefully, not wanting to be caught off guard. "Stop it, Potter," the blond demanded halfheartedly as he struggled to distance himself from the wand.

Harry snorted. "You're not worth it," he said and slid his wand back into its hiding place. He sent the Malfoy a death glare and fell silent, not knowing what to say next.

"Oh, I'm not worth it, am I?" Draco sneered, back to his overly pompous self know that he wasn't in any immediate danger, but he still kept a close watch to see if Harry was going to go for his wand again anytime soon. Then it hit him. "Hey! Where's my wand," he exclaimed and looked frantically around before remembering that his wand had been snapped in two, "oh..." This was not good; he couldn't live without his wand! "And my clothes?" he added as he plucked at the hospital gown in utter disgust.

"You think I would know? I just got here a few minutes ago," Harry replied coolly and scowled at the window that overlooked Surrey.

"Find my clothes, Potter!" Draco demanded icily.

"Do it yourself," Harry said and turned his back on Draco. He was not about to start catering to Draco and doing everything the blond told him to do.

"Fine, then. I will," Draco snapped. Easing himself up and to the edge of the bed, he set his bare feet on the chilly floor. He shivered lightly then slowly pushed himself onto his wobbling legs, grabbing hold of the bed for support. With a quick glare at Harry, the blond readied himself then took a step forward. A pained cry escaped his mouth as his leg began to hurt. He had pulled a muscle in his right leg while running, but in his blind terror, he'd felt no pain. Biting his lip, he tried to ignore the pain and stepped forward again, only to collapse to a heap in the middle of the room with a grunt, "Ow..."

Harry tried to make himself not look back at the pathetic blond on the floor, but he failed miserably and swiveled around to stare down at Draco pityingly.

Kaya just happened to walk back into the room at that moment and stopped dead in the doorway blinking. Then, she hurried over and asked, "What happened?" She cast a look at Harry like she didn't believe he hadn't bothered to help the young Malfoy up.

Harry noticed the look directed at him as Kaya knelt by Draco, so the Golden Boy shrugged. "He wanted to know where his clothes were, but I told him I didn't know. So, he was going to go find them himself. I could've helped him, but he didn't want my help. He's very stubborn, you know," he explained carelessly.

Kaya sighed, "Alright, Mr. Malfoy, let's get you back to bed. Come on," she urged and carefully pulled the blond to a sitting position.

Draco's face hardened into an icy glare, and he pushed the doctor away from him. "Get away, muggle," Draco stated coldly and shakily pushed himself to his feet, swaying momentarily before taking a couple steps and collapsing back onto the bed.

Kaya frowned in confusion. Upon not being able to figure anything out, she shook her head and stood back up, grabbing the clipboard that hung at the end of Draco's bed. "Looks like you'll be released in two or three days," she said to Draco, whose face darkened at the prospect of being stuck in a muggle hospital that long. "If you can give us some more information, we can contact your parents and have them come see you," she smiled at the blond, who suddenly froze.

"Er... right," Draco answered distractedly and gazed softly at the sheets gripped in his pale hands. He was sure his father wouldn't be happy, but would he disown him? He hoped not... He had always looked up to his father, but... somehow he knew that, after what he had done, his father would at the least be furious. Then, Draco's thoughts turned to his mother. She wouldn't let Lucius do anything drastic, would she?

"So, where do you live? And what's your phone number?" Kaya began to question, seeing as Draco was not talking already.

Draco didn't answer. He just sat there squeezing the sheets in his fists. He couldn't very well tell the Muggle that he didn't even know what a "phone" was or that his parents wouldn't be happy about being contacted by muggles anyway.

"Uh, his family doesn't have a phone. They don't like them," Harry spoke suddenly, causing both Draco and Kaya to look at him, Draco wearing a look of confusion and somewhat relief. "I'm not sure on where he lives, but it's somewhere in Wiltshire, isn't it, Draco?" he made himself ask the blond in a nice tone of voice. It was hard to be politely nice to someone you hated, and, to Harry, it felt odd to be calling Draco by his first name. He could tell, however, that something was going on with Draco and his family life. Usually the Slytherin would be sneering and saying that he would tell his father about this or about that.

Draco only nodded. He really didn't feel like talking at the moment. Maybe if he stayed silent, the doctor would get the idea and leave him alone and let him rest some. He was really tired, and his whole body ached. This made him hate muggles all the more, since they were unable to use magic to heal wounds.

"Well, I can see you're tired... I can get the rest of the information from you later, so why don't you rest? I'll be back later to see how you're doing," Kaya said kindly. Without waiting for an answer, she smiled and moved towards the door. She halted in the doorway to tell Harry, "Mr. Potter, visiting hours last until 8:30 this evening." Then, after seeing Harry's nod, she strode out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.

Draco shifted around until he was laying on his back. He shut his eyes to attempt to rest, but he felt a pair of emerald eyes on him. With an irritated sigh, he opened his eyes and scowled at Harry, who stood at the foot of the bed, just staring at the blond. "What are you still doing here, Potter?" he snapped as he closed his eyes again and tried to relax, but how could one relax when their arch rival was standing right at the foot of the bed and was armed with a wand and six years of Hogwarts schooling?

"I want answers, and I'm not leaving until you and I talk and I get those answers," Harry stated bluntly and walked over to seat himself in the chair beside Draco's bed. With a hint of satisfaction, he saw Draco flinch and tense as the Slytherin shot him a glare.

"You might as well get comfortable in that chair then," Draco said haughtily, "because I'm not answering any of your questions." He fell silent and gazed blankly up at the ceiling. He was still thinking about what would happen to him after he was "released" from this muggle hospital. And he also wondered what had happened to Hermione.

Harry rolled his eyes but remained in the chair, not speaking a word. He would have sat there until it was time for visiting hours to be over if it wasn't for a fancy-looking eagle owl coming up to peck on the window of the room. Curiosity took hold of the Golden Boy when he saw Draco take one look at the owl and pale, so Harry hurried over to open the window and allow the owl to swoop in, drop a letter on Draco's lap, and fly back out again. The Gryffindor blinked then shrugged and re-shut the window. "Aren't you going to open it?" Harry frowned as he returned to his seat.

"What?" Draco's gaze snapped up to meet Harry's, "Oh, right..." The blond looked back down to the envelope in his lap. He saw the Malfoy family emblem that sealed the envelope, and he bit his lip in worry. With trembling hands, he carefully picked it up and slowly began to open it, not really sure if he wanted to read its contents.

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Kyla: Okay, see you in the next chapter! lol. xP 


	5. Chapter 5

Kyla: Ooh, Draco get's a letter!! xP What's it about? Let's see!

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Five  
by  
Kyla Mizuki

Harry frowned as he watched Draco. The blond was pale, and he opened the envelope with trembling hands. What would be so bad about getting a letter from your parents?

"_Draco, I hope this letter finds you well," _Draco nearly sighed in relief after reading that first line, but the next few words caused Draco's throat to tighten, his eyes widening. His hands started to shake violently as he forced himself to read the letter through.

"_Draco,_

_I hope this letter finds you well because I want to have the pleasure of punishing you. You disobeyed me and disgraced the name of Malfoy. You refused to follow simple orders, therefore proving that you are unworthy of the Malfoy name. Consider yourself disowned as a member of my family and know that when next we meet I will not hesitate to attack, or even kill, you. Don't expect your dear mother to protect you; she cannot stop me. You are truly a worthless, disobedient child. But now, you have nowhere to go, no one to turn to. You betrayed the Dark Lord, and the light side will surely not take you in. You will die, Draco, either by my wand, or perhaps by the Dark Lord._

_Lucius Malfoy"_

Tears gathered in Draco's gray eyes as the letter slipped from his numb fingers. He couldn't believe this... Why had he ever decided to run? Why? If he hadn't... he might have been able to make his father proud, but now... His father had disowned him and wanted him dead. He swallowed back the tears and sobs, since Harry was still standing there in the room. "Go away, Potter. I'm not in the mood to talk right now," Draco stated coolly, tearful gaze glaring at the opposite wall.

Harry was really confused now. He saw the tears being held back, and he idly wondered what that letter had said to make Draco this upset. "No, I think I'll stay for a little while longer," Harry said stubbornly. Then, he made his way over to the bed and snatched the letter up into his hand to read it.

"No, don't!" Draco cried out, attempting to reach out and grab the letter back. Having Harry see that letter would just make Draco feel even worse. "Potter, do NOT read that! It's none of your business," he snarled and reached out for the letter again, only for his wounds to make him wince and lay back down. "Please, Potter... don't read it," Draco muttered, gazing at the floor with eyes that showed the blond was upset.

Harry sneered, "Malfoy's saying please, well, this letter must have something interesting in it then."

"I'm not a Malfoy anymore! Stop! Give that back!" Draco shouted, voice quivering like he was about to break down crying. He tried to reach for it again, but it was no use.

"Not a Malfoy anymore? Ha, yeah right," Harry snorted then started to read the letter, ignoring Draco's exclaimed protests. As the Golden Boy continued to read, he became even more confused. What was all of this about? He couldn't miss the opportunity to insult the Slytherin, however, and after he finished reading it, he smirked, "Aw, _Draco_, did you make daddy mad?" He looked at the blond only to see the Slytherin crying silently, hiding his face as best he could with his hands. Harry felt a pang of guilt. He'd thought that if he was finally able to insult or embarrass Draco, he would feel excellent, but now... looking down at the distressed boy on the hospital bed, he felt more guilt than anything else. How he hated having such a heart.. It was a curse, he thought. He grimaced before sighing, knowing he would need to apologize. But, Lucius couldn't be serious about disowning Draco, could he?

"Sorry, I—I didn't mean to be so mean," Harry apologized, "but you're father can't be serious. And what's all this about, anyway?" He knew whatever was going on with Voldemort's raging emotions had something to do with Draco.

"I told you," Draco said in a rough voice as he slowly sat up, his eyes red and puffy and tear stains on his pale cheeks, "I'm not a Malfoy anymore. Stop calling me that." He glared at the dark-haired boy, but Harry noticed that the glare didn't seem all that strong.

"What am I supposed to call you?" Harry snapped, "I've been calling you Malfoy for the past six years." He scowled and tossed the letter away.

Draco's eyes widened, and he reached out to catch the letter. With a small sigh, he folded it up neatly and set it on the table by his bed. This made Harry all the more confused. "I don't care. Just don't call me Malfoy anymore..." the blond uttered, the sheets on his bed seeming to be very fascinating.

"Fat lot of help that is," Harry growled, glowering at the Slytherin.

"No one's making you stay here, so just leave and forget about me! You're the Golden Boy, go get pampered by the Ministry and leave me alone!" Draco thundered suddenly and sent Harry a death glare.

"You can't tell me what to do, Malfoy," Harry said bluntly and plopped down into the wooden chair as if to prove his point.

"I told you," Draco seethed, "not to call me that... I'm a Malfoy no longer!"

"Stop being such a drama queen," Harry spat, his temper rising hard and fast.

Draco's fists clenched the white sheets in his hands. "You don't understand," he grumbled. Harry had no idea what it was like, loving and adoring your father only to find out your own father hated you and wanted you to die.

"You're right, I don't understand," Harry nodded, trying to keep himself calm, "so, why don't you explain it to me, Ferret?" he inquired grouchily.

"Why don't you just mind your own business," Draco replied coldly.

The two lapped into an angry silence, neither one wanting to speak to the other. Both told themselves that they wouldn't be the ones to talk first. It was like a contest. The first one to talk? Why, it was none other than Harry. The Gryffindor was always curious, and he couldn't take not knowing the reason for something.

"So, Ferret," Harry said casually as he could, "what are you going to do when you get released from the hospital? It's not like your father would welcome you home too well. Where will you go?"

Draco's anger fell away as his brain started to think a mile a minute. What _would_ he do after getting out of this muggle hospital? There was nowhere he _could_ go... Sadly, he shrugged and muttered, "I don't know..."

Another silence took hold of them and lasted until visiting hours were over. Harry stood and nodded at Draco in farewell, and the blond did the same. Then, Harry left. He managed to sneak back into the Dursley's house without too much trouble, and in his room, he lay wide awake on his bed, pondering over the other side of Draco he had seen today.

Meanwhile, Draco cried his bitter tears in the loneliness of the quiet hospital room until he fell asleep, where nightmares plagued him.

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Kyla: Reviews maybe? 


	6. Chapter 6

Kyla: This is going to be the last update for the next little while, but I'll try to work on the next chapter whenever I can find the time.

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Six  
by  
Kyla Mizuki

Draco sighed for the umpteenth time that day, but really, what did you expect? He had been holed up in a muggle hospital for the past two days, and he hadn't had any visitors to come by, not that he was all too surprised by that fact, but, deep down, he had hoped Harry would come again. However, two days had passed since he last saw the Gryffindor; two days had passed since he received that letter from his father...

Shifting uncomfortably, the blond Slytherin turned his mind to other things, but no matter what, those things led right back to his father or Harry, one of the two. "God, I must be desperate for company if I'm wanting Potter to come by," he groaned and rubbed his face. He was so bored. He didn't see how muggles made it in a world without magic.

Without magic. That made Draco remember that he had no wand, and therefore, no magic. With a bitter sigh, he tried to get comfortable, but the sheets and pillows seemed to be against him getting any rest. When the nurse came in to check on him, he didn't speak to her. He ignored her like he had for the past couple of days. No matter how much he wanted company, he would not accept muggles.

Draco propped himself up when the nurse left again and stared out the window. What would he do when he was released in a few hours? He couldn't help it, he was scared. He had no idea what to do. An uncomfortable pricking on his left forearm made him look at it, seeing a faint outline of blood that had bled through the bandages. The Dark Mark. With yet another sigh, he turned his gaze away and set his right hand over the mark. _What am I going to do?_

"Mr. Malfoy," Kaya said upon entering the boy's room.

Draco reluctantly turned to meet the doctor's gaze. She had been coming by now and then, trying to get information on how to contact his parents, but Draco didn't say a word about where his parents could be found. He let her call him Malfoy, seeing as she had no idea what was going on, and it's not like some muggle would understand, right?

"How are you feeling today?" Kaya asked as she sat down in the seat beside the bed.

Draco shrugged in reply and kept silent, his gray eyes looking dazedly out the window. He was deep in thought and concentrated on what he would do in a few short hours.

"So, have you given any thought to what you'll be doing when you're released?" Kaya inquired, curious and worried about the young blond. She had pondered over why he wouldn't tell her where she could find his parents, so she'd given up on that. She just wanted to know if he had any sort of plan.

Draco hesitated but nodded nonetheless, but that's his only answer. He didn't say a word.

Kaya waited patiently for a few minutes to see if he would say anything on his own, but when it was clear he wouldn't, she sighed, "And, what do you have planned?"

With a shrug, Draco refused to meet the woman's gaze. He didn't want pity from some muggle, but he really felt upset and a little scared as to what would happen. He had no wand, and his own father wanted him dead. He'd probably be on the run for the rest of his life.

"Well," Kaya began with a soft smile, "someone came to me with an offer for you a few days ago. He told me not to ask unless you couldn't think of anything else to do." At the inquiring look Draco sent her, the doctor grinned and called over her shoulder, "Come in!"

Draco was on edge and very alert. For all he knew, it could be Lucius or some other Death Eater! In his bed, he tensed and watched carefully as the door opened to reveal a lone figure...

"P-professor Lupin?" Draco stammered with a small feeling of relief welling up inside him. Draco was glad that it wasn't Voldemort or his father, but what would Remus the Werewolf be doing there?

"Yes, it's me, Mr. Malfoy," Remus gave the blond a haggered smile and stepped into the room. Draco could see exhaustion pulling hard at the man, and the werewolf looked near death. There were more gray hairs on his hand than should have been, and the tired man walked with a slight limp, making Draco curious and anxious at the same time.

There was a short silence where Draco watched Remus closely as the werewolf nodded in greeting to Kaya and asked if he could possibly speak with Draco alone for a few minutes. With a chipper nod, Kaya replied brightly with a yes and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

After a steady, uncomfortable silence, Draco finally spoke up. "What are you doing here?" he asked suspiciously.

Remus looked around apprehensively before sighing and sitting in the chair by the Slytherin's bed. "Hermione and Mr. Zabini arrived at the Order of the Phoenix's Headquarters, and Hermione told me where to find you, or in what general vicinity to look for you. It took me a while to discover you were in a muggle hospital," he chuckled lightly, only to start coughing.

"Wait, Granger? And Blaise? Order of the Phoenix... what?" Draco babbled, frowning thoughtfully. He had thought Blaise was a Death Eater, through and through, and... had Granger actually escaped? With help from Blaise no doubt. But, what was the Order of the Phoenix?

"The Order of the Phoenix is a group of witches and wizards who fight against You-Know-Who," Remus explained in a quiet whisper, so no passing muggles could possibly hear him, but it was better to be safe than sorry. "And Mr. Zabini and Hermione managed to escape You-Know-Who and made it to Headquarters. They're both safe, so you needn't worry," he smiled lightly.

"I'm not, nor was I, worried," Draco scoffed and scowled in the opposite direction, his arms folded stubbornly over his chest. He needed a good sulk after that. He may not be a Malfoy anymore—and the thought still upset him but he ignored it as best he could—but he still had his pride left.

"Of course you weren't," Remus chortled and fell into another small coughing tantrum.

Draco's gray eyes slid back to glance at his former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and he couldn't stop the worry that jolted through him. That cough had sounded bad. Wait, what was he doing? Worrying about Remus Lupin? The man was a werewolf for heaven's sake! As quickly as his worry came, it vanished, and he glared at the werewolf beside him.

"Now, you're getting released from here in a few short hours, right?" Remus asked as he stood and moved to the foot of the bed to read something hooked on a clipboard, glancing up in time to see Draco nod silently. "Very well, when it's time for your release, I'll come back by and collect you. I must go get Harry, so see you in a little while," he smiled and exited the room, leaving a blinking and confused Draco in the white room.

Draco scowled, "And where, pretell, does he think he'll take me?"

Kaya returned a few minutes later. "So, you don't have to worry about what to do after you're released this afternoon," she said conversationally as she casually looked over some paperwork on her clipboard.

Draco snorted in reply, refusing to say anything. He inwardly sighed, guessing he'd probably be safer with Remus rather than wandering around helpless and without any protection with the possibility of being killed at any moment.

Meanwhile, Remus parked the borrowed Ministry car in front of Number four, Privet Drive. Climbing out, he made his way up to the front door and knocked, waiting patiently as there were heavy footsteps coming towards the door. "Good day, Mr. Dursley," Remus greeted politely, taking great humor in the way Vernon Durlsey's face turned purple at the sight of Remus in old, casual muggle clothes. "Is Harry ready to go?"

"Remus! Finally," Harry sighed in relief as he jumped up from his sitting position on the staircase. He had his school trunk and Hedwig's cage already packed and ready go and was dragging to over to the door, before his uncle even spoke.

Vernon glared down at his nephew before grunting and fleeing the hallway, not even bothering to say goodbye, but that suited Harry just fine. He just wanted out of his family's house; he'd rather be anywhere else. So, together, he and Remus loaded his things into the trunk of the car before climbing into the vehicle.

"Oh, we're going to pick up Mr. Malfoy, then we'll be off," Remus added casually, as if he was talking about the weather.

Harry inwardly groaned. Somehow, he knew Draco would weasel someone into protecting him... but why did the light side have to be so nice? Draco was a Death Eater, or he had been... After his conversation with the Slytherin, Harry hadn't been so sure, but he didn't trust Draco. At all. "Fine," Harry sighed and sunk down in his seat some.

When they arrived at the hospital, Draco had just gotten outside in some clothes Kaya had went out and bought him. The blond had to admit, Kaya wasn't too bad—for a muggle, that is—and she had a good sense of style. He smirked to himself lightly. He acted like such a girl at times... However, upon seeing Remus pull up, Harry in the front passenger seat, Draco's smirk fell away and he took a deep breath before striding over to the car and climbing silently into the back, ignoring the pain that his stinging wounds caused him. The trip was fast, and like magic they seemed to skip miles and miles as if the car leaped forward through a time warp. The ride was silent, sometimes broken when Remus tried to start up a conversation, but neither Harry nor Draco felt much like talking at that particular moment.

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Kyla: -yawns- Okay, time for bed. See you guys next chapter! 


	7. Chapter 7

Kyla: Yay! I get some time to write more! I really like the end of this chapter... I dunno, I just felt kinda fluffy... Haha, anyways, I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters. Those and the plot are property of J.K. Rowling. Don't forget to review!

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Seven  
by  
Kyla Mizuki

"Alright, here we are," Remus broke the silence as he parked the car and switched the ignition off. He climbed out of the car and opened the trunk of the car, reaching for Harry's things, but said boy hurried over and lightly pushed Remus's hands away.

"I can get those," Harry told the werewolf and smiled reassuringly, "so don't worry about it."

Remus laughed and shook his head. "Okay." He backed off and gave Draco a small slip of paper as Harry pulled his things from the back of the car and headed up to Grimmauld Place, which magically grew after the note Draco read over, telling him the location of the Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, burnt and fell to the ground as ashes. "Are you coming, Draco?" the ex-professor asked, stopping to look back at the blond.

"Uh, yeah..." Draco answered quietly, curious about the building that had just grown before his eyes. He followed Remus and Harry to the door and went inside.

As soon as Harry was in Grimmauld Place, he was tackled with a hug by Hermione. "Harry!" she exclaimed in greeting.

Sirius's mom started screaming from her portrait, throwing loud curses at everyone, just as she always did. Harry sighed and dropped his hold on his stuff and hugged Hermione, ignoring the shrieking coming from that accursed portrait.

"Be quiet, woman!" Draco shouted over the noise as the front door closed behind himself and Remus. The Slytherin stalked over to the portrait and glared at the woman, "Shut up!"

Miss Black narrowed her eyes angrily at the boy. "This is my house! I have every right to scream! You blood traitors are in my house, and I want you out!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Remus came over and set a hand on Draco's shoulder. He said, "Come, Draco, it can't be helped. Let's go down to the kitchen."

Draco scowled at the werewolf and shrugged off his hand. Then, he turned his glare from Remus to Miss Black, who continued howling insults. The young Slytherin gave an irritated sigh and spun on his heel, following a chattering Hermione and a listening Harry down a set of stairs.

A woman with pink hair ran by up the stairs and greeted the three Hogwarts students as she passed. There were sounds of screaming from Miss Black, the silence as Draco was near the bottom of the staircase.

"It was just aweful, Harry," Hermione concluded as she opened the kitchen door. She had just told Harry what had happened when she was captured. "Malfoy saved me, then Snape, and even Blaise! I can't believe it... It seems everything has been turned upside down."

Harry's emerald eyes flitted over to Draco as the blond reached the bottom step and headed for the doorway where the two Gryffindors stood. The Boy-Who-Lived watched the Slytherin closely then returned his gaze towards Hermione while she chatted more.

Harry was greeted warmly as soon as he stepped into the kitchen. Ron, Ginny, Molly and Arthur Weasley were there sitting at the table with Blaise Zabini. Everyone shouted hi at the same time, and Molly raced over to hug Harry.

"Hey, mate!" Ron greeted smiling and made his way over to his best friends.

"Hi, Ron," Harry replied happily. Here he was, back with his two best friends, and he couldn't be happier, but... _If it wasn't for Malfoy, Hermione wouldn't be here..._ With an internal sigh, he figured he owed Draco, but that didn't mean he had to trust the Slytherin at all. "Hello, Ginny," he smiled at the youngest Weasley child.

"Hi!" Ginny replied brightly.

"Good to see you, Harry," Arthur said and nodded his head in greeting, a smile on his face as well.

"How have you been, Harry, dear?" Molly asked sweetly, "Oh, come, come. Sit." She ushered Harry to the table, not giving him a chance to answer. He laughed but let the woman lead him to a chair, where he sat down, Hermione and Ron sitting on either side of him, while Ginny took a seat next to Blaise, who greeted Harry as well. Molly and Arthur went up at the sound of the doorbell, leaving the teenagers alone.

Blaise just happened to glance at the door and noticed a head of blond hair hiding around the corner. For a moment, he didn't know who it was but then it clicked, "Draco!" He grinned and pushed his chair back quickly. He raced over to the doorway and drug Draco into a friendly hug. "Glad you're okay, Drake. I was beginning to worry," he laughed and drug Draco towards the table.

"Blaise, you idiot, let me go," Draco demanded, trying to wriggle out of the other boy's hold, but Blaise knew that this annoyed Draco, so he didn't let him go. Everyone else in the room was looking at the odd sight, and when Draco noticed, he flushed slightly and struggled even harder. "Release me... BLAISE!"

"Why? I haven't gotten to see you in so long! I missed you!" Blaise exclaimed over dramatically. Then he chuckled at the glare Draco sent him and released the blond. "Just kidding, jeez."

Draco straightened up his shirt some then scowled at the Gryffindors seated at the table. "What are you staring at?" he snapped and turned to walk off, but Blaise kept him from going anywhere, seeing as he took hold of Draco's arm and pulled him back. "What now?" Draco asked moodily and gave Blaise a questioning glare.

"Come on, I know you're hungry," Blaise said and rolled his eyes. He pulled Draco over to the table and pushed Draco into a seat as he said, "Sit. Eat." He pointed to the foot and waited.

"I'm not hungry," Draco argued quietly.

"Humor me," Blaise said and sat down between Draco and Ginny, starting to eat again. "Stop staring like that, Gryffindors," he stated and smirked before leaning over to whisper loudly to Draco, "I think they like you! Look at the way they're looking at you!" He burst out laughing when Draco sputtered gracelessly on his pupmkin juice.

"What?!" the Gryffindors exclaimed in an outrage.

"No way, that's disgusting," Ron stated and crossed his arms over his chest.

Hermione and Ginny shuddered, and Harry scowled.

Draco, his face flushing lightly, shouted, "Blaise! Be quiet!" He smacked his fellow Slytherin upside the head.

Blaise just laughed and rubbed his head where Draco had smacked him. "Oh, come on, I thought that was funny!"

"You would," Draco sneered, feeling more relaxed with Blaise at his side. It was almost like they were back at Hogwarts.

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the room, and Blaise looked at the Gryffindors then at Draco and back to the Gryffindors again. "Okay, someone say something."

"Like what?" Draco asked absently, starting to slowly eat some food. He had his cheek propped on his hand, his elbow resting atop the table, his eyes lazily drifting shut.

"I don't know," Blaise sighed, "that's why I said say something. It's only logical, and it did get you to say something." he grinned and took a swig of his pumpkin juice.

"You're logic is as twisted as your perverted mind," Draco muttered, a light smirk on his face.

"Why thanks, Drake," Blaise said, batting his eyelashes.

Draco grunted but couldn't stop the small smile from slipping onto his lips. He had forgotten the Gryffindors were still there until Hermione spoke. "I've never seen Malfoy so casual.." There was a murmur of agreements from the others around her, and Draco's gray eyes snapped open.

Draco was suddenly alert. He directed a death glare at the Gryffindors and sat rigid and tense in his seat. "Don't call me Malfoy anymore, Granger. I am no longer one of the Malfoys," he stated in a cold tone.

Blaise's eyes widened, "Draco, what happened? You have to tell me, okay? Not now, if you don't want to, but later, you will" he stated, no joking or teasing in his voice, just plain seriousness.

"What are you talking about?" Ron snapped.

"If you don't understand, maybe you should clean out your ears, Weasel," Draco said, voice full of loathing. With that, he stormed out of the room.

"What was that all about?" Ginny asked dubiously.

Blaise watched Draco leave then stood and bolted after his blond friend. "Draco, wait up," he called after Draco, who slowed down and came to a stop. He didn't turn around or meet Blaise's gaze, but Blaise seemed to understand and said, "Follow me. We can go talk somewhere in private," he whispered to the blond.

The two walked silently up the stairs and into a room at the very end of the second floor hallway. Blaise shut the door behind them and led Draco over to the bed, sitting them both on the sheets. "Okay, we're alone, talk." Blaise demanded softly.

"There's nothing to talk about," Draco replied evenly but refused to look at Blaise. The blond seemed to be more interested in the dark curtains that covered the window.

"Liar," Blaise spat and crossed his arms over his chest moodily. He pouted in an attempt to get Draco talking, but if he didn't see it, it wouldn't work. Blaise sighed and wrapped his arms around Draco, pulling the blond to lay down with Blaise, who was under Draco.

Draco struggled halfheartedly and said, "Stop, Blaise."

"No," Blaise refused and whispered in Draco's ear, "tell me."

Draco gave up on getting out of his friend's grip and relaxed against the warm body he lay on top of. With a sigh, he started talking, "You know I refused to kill Granger and helped her escape, right?"

Blaise grinned slightly and buried his face in Draco's blond hair, nodding in answer to his friend's question. He tightened his grip on Draco's middle as a signal to continue talking.

"I ran until I collapsed, but Death Eaters were still after us. We could hear them. Granger hid me in some underbrush and said she'd go get help and return to help me as soon as she could. Then, she ran off, and Death Eaters kept after her, not knowing I wasn't with them... From there, I fell unconscious, and when I woke up, I was in a muggle hospital, and Potter was there... A little while after I had woken up, I got a letter from my father... and it said that... Blaise, my own father wants me dead. He hates me," he said bluntly, his voice holding only a hint of emotion. "And what's worse is that Potter knows.. He snatched the letter from me and read it, even though I tried to keep it from him."

"So that's what's wrong," Blaise murmured. "I'm sorry, Drake..." He hugged the blond tighter.

"It doesn't matter," Draco sighed, not caring when Blaise kissed him on the head then on his ear. The blond just curled up in Blaise's arms and listened to the silence that passed between the two while he let Blaise kiss his problems away. They would often do this. When Draco needed comfort, Blaise gave him what he needed and listened to anything Draco has to say. Blaise had admitted to his best friend that he had feelings for him, but the blond didn't feel the same way. Their friendship wasn't ruined, though. They were as close as they could be as friends. "Thanks, Blaise," Draco muttered as he fell asleep tucked safe under the covers and in Blaise's arms.

Blaise smiled at the blond and said, "No problem." He kissed Draco on the forehead then snuggled up to him and fell asleep after casting a locking charm on his door.

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Kyla: How was it? Was the ending okay? I just really wanted to write some fluff... don't worry, this is still HarryDraco, but I just had to add that last part.. xD 


	8. Chapter 8

Kyla: Okay, I know it's been a long time since my last update.. Hopefully this longer chapter can make up for it.. I think it's the longest chapter I've ever written! XD Enjoy! Also, remember, I don't own Harry Potter, no matter how cool that would be. XP Don't forget to review either!

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Eight  
by  
Kyla Mizuki

It was around midnight, and Harry wandered restlessly into the kitchen. With a heavy sigh, he collapsed into a chair at the table and buried his face in his arms. Groaning, he went over his dream again. There had been Voldemort, of course, but this time, Lucius was also there. They had been talking about... something, but what had it been about?

Deciding he wouldn't figure it out any time soon, Harry shoved the dream away to the back of his mind. He would worry about it later, but for now, he had to do something that would keep him from falling asleep. He was terrified of sleeping, even though he would attempt to sleep each night. The nightmares always came back. He was to the point he no longer wanted to sleep, not if it meant being plagued by those dreams.

The Boy-Who-Lived was slowly driving himself crazy. What was he supposed to do? He was supposed to be the Savior of the Wizarding World, but how? He was barely of age, for Pete's sake! He heaved another heavy sigh, hoping to sigh away his problems, at least for a little while... It didn't work. No matter what he did, his mind kept turning back to all that had happened to him throughout his life. Why had fate dealt him such cruel hand?

"Harry?" Hermione asked timidly and quietly from the doorway.

Harry moved his head enough to peek up at the bushy-haired girl, who stood hesitantly at the door. He could see she wasn't sure whether to enter or go back upstairs to bed. "Yeah, Hermione? Come on, sit down, if you want," he grumbled as he hid his face in his arms again, attempting to banish the exhaustion that was coursing through him. He couldn't fall asleep, he WOULDN'T fall asleep... not to have more nightmares.

Hermione made her way silently to the table and took the seat beside Harry. "You seem exhausted. Why don't you go upstairs and get some sleep?" the muggle-born suggested cautiously, eying her friend carefully.

"'M not tired," came Harry's muffled reply as he shifted some in his seat, "just restless tonight... Can't sleep." He knew his words were slurred together and that he was not talking in complete sentences, but that only showed just how tired he really was, though he loathed to admit it.

"Could have fooled me," Hermione snorted lightly, a small scowl flashing over her face. That scowl soon melted to concern, however, and she spoke softer, gentler, "Harry, just try and get some rest... okay? Please?"

Harry let out a small sigh and sat up, looking to an anxious Hermione. He gave her the best smile he could and said, "Alright. I'll head upstairs then." This was a lie, but he couldn't push his problems off on Hermione, so he pushed his chair out and stood up. "See you in the morning," he told her and left the kitchen.

He bitterly collapsed onto his bed, not bothering with the covers. He intended to just lay there and count the dust particles he could see floating above him. No matter how much cleaning the house went through, Grimmauld Place just would not stay clean, Harry thought to himself. And, in the midst of his thinking, he fell asleep, despite his vain attempts to stay awake. Thankfully, he had no dreams related to the war. He actually had no dreams at all, so he was able to rest peacefully.

At 7:30 the next morning, Ron Weasley's bright voice drifted through Harry's closed door, bringing Harry back into the harsh reality. Groaning, Harry reluctantly sat up and tried his best to wipe the sleep from his eyes as he heard Ron say, "Hey, mate, breakfast's done!"

"Fine... I'll be down in a few minutes," Harry called drowsily back to the redhead just outside the door.

"Right," Ron said and headed for the kitchen. He would have came into Harry's room to wake up the dark-haired teen hero, but the door was locked. So, Ron decided to let Harry keep his privacy and not say anything about having the doors locked.

Meanwhile, Blaise woke up with a big yawn. It took him a couple of minutes to realize, however, that there was a person laying on top of him... A certain blond Slytherin for that matter. With a grin, Blaise gently shook Draco awake. "Draco, wake up. Time for breakfast," he whispered into the blond's ear.

Draco squirmed some, trying to burrow more into Blaise's warmth. He yawned and tried to fall back asleep, not caring about anything else, but when Blaise dumped him off the bed, Draco yelped indignantly, falling with a thud to the floor. With a harsh glare sent at Blaise, Draco sat up stilfing another yawn. "What was that for?" he whined softly, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Time for breakfast. I just heard Weasley telling Potter a minute ago," he explained with a shrug.

Draco nodded in understanding then he looked up. "Wait, Potter's room is close to this one?" He didn't seem to like that idea too well. Not with how much Harry hated him, and how Draco hated Harry, of course.

"Yeah, is that so much of a shocker for you? The house is only so big after all," Blaise chortled and climbed out of the bed. He grabbed some clothes from his wardrobe and started to dress while Draco blushed and turned around.

"Yes, it is," Draco stated blandly but didn't bother to throw his friend a glare over his shoulder, "we hate each other. There's no telling what he could do!" He seemed angry, if not slightly upset.

Blaise sighed as he finished changing. He stepped over to Draco and wrapped his arms around the blond's waist. "Relax, Draco. My door had about five or six locking charms on in last night. There's no way he could have gotten in here," he cooed in his friend's ear.

Draco shifted, somewhat uncomfortable in the position, no matter how comforting it felt to have someone who was always there for him, no matter what was going wrong in his life, it still made Draco feel partially guilty, as if he was taking advantage of Blaise. "I suppose," he muttered then shrugged and pulled out of Blaise's grip. "Thanks, you can go on to breakfast. I'll only be a few minutes. I just need to change," he told his friend.

"It's fine, I can wait," Blaise offered and leaned on the wall beside the door.

Draco shook his head no and told his fellow Slytherin to go ahead and enjoy breakfast and that he would be down soon, and once Blaise reluctantly agreed and left, the blond started to change slowly while he pondered over different things.

It was, of course, by sheer coincidence that Draco and Harry reached the staircase at the same time. The two stared one another down with narrowed eyes full of distrust. They nodded to one another in civil greeting and said one another's names shortly. "After you, Malfoy," Harry said through gritted teeth and indicated for Draco to go down the stairs before him.

"No, I insist, Potter, you first," Draco replied with a sneer. He remained where he was standing, and he could tell Harry was getting annoyed, but why should he be the first one to go down?

"No, you first," Harry stated irately, his arms folded stubbornly over his chest.

"I could never," Draco said lightly, "I was raised to be polite, and polite I must be." He smirked at the Gryffindor, satisfied that he could still easily get under Harry's skin.

"Malfoy, just go!" Harry nearly snarled, his fists clenched tight as he pinned a death glare on the Slytherin.

"Age before beauty," Draco grinned and swiftly bowed, indicating to the stair well as he did. This only seemed to anger Harry even more, Draco noted. With a satisfied sneer, he listened as Harry groaned angrily and stomped off down the stairs, muttering about the blond that followed behind him.

Harry was seething. He hated having Draco there at Grimmauld Place. They had just arrived the day before, and he was already tired of dealing with the ferret. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he missed the hinted warning that Draco gave him before the Boy-Who-Lived tripped gracelessly over his own feet and fell down the last four stairs. With a groan, he sat up and rubbed his pounding head.

Draco had warned him with a quick, "There is a step in front of you, you know." When Harry didn't listen, he had missed the step and fallen forward, hitting the floor that was a few stairs down. Draco burst out laughing while Harry slowly sat up. "I see the war has not helped your gracefulness, Potter," the blond sniggered.

"Shut up," Harry demanded icily. He pushed himself to his feet and headed for the kitchen, not bothering to look back at Draco, who continued to not-so-silently laugh behind him.

When the two reached the kitchen, they split to different sides of the table. Harry sat on one side with Ron that was far enough away from where Draco sat next to Blaise so that the Boy Wonder and Ron could talk without Draco's interruption.

There was a knock at the door, and immediately, Mrs. Black's portrait started on its usual tirade. Molly and Arthur rushed from the room to go greet whoever was at the door. It turned out to be none other than the new Headmistress of Hogwarts.

Soon, Mrs. Black's shrieks faded away into the silence as the curtains were successfully pushed back over her portrait to silence her. Then, Molly, Arthur, and Minerva McGonogall all entered into the room.

"Hello, Professor," Hermione greeted her Transfiguration professor with a smile.

"Hello, Professor," Ron and Harry echoed behind Hermione.

"Hey, Professor," Blaise greeted the elder woman with a jovial smile while Draco merely nodded to the woman in respect. "How's things at Hogwarts?" the Zabini asked as Minvera took a seat at the table,

The Headmistress thanked Molly for the cup of tea that the Weasley mother had just set down for her before sipping lightly on it. As she sat it back on the table, she answered her student's question, "Dismally... I want to keep the school open, but many parents are sending owls saying they will not let their children return to Hogwarts. All because of the threat of You-Know-Who." She sighed and took another sip of tea.

"But why not?" Draco couldn't help but ask, a frown on his face. When everyone looked at him, he averted his eyes to the tabletop and explained himself, "Well, Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the magical world. Why wouldn't parents want their kids there?"

"Maybe they're afraid someone will let in a horde of Death Eaters like last year," Harry stated testily, glaring at the blond from the corner of his eye.

Draco's hands on his lap clenched into fists as he reigned in his temper. "It was one time, Potter. Why would I help the Death Eaters ever again? I've refused to follow the Dark Lord. It doesn't matter what I do to help them, I would never be welcomed back there," he said in a soft voice.

"That one time was enough to kill Dumbledore though, wasn't it, Malfoy?" Harry seethed, his anger raging. "You're not exactly welcomed here either," he added, green eyes flaming angrily.

"Harry," Hermione gasped, as if surprised Harry would say such a thing. Whether they liked it all or not, Draco was on their side, so they should attempt to put away their differences and at the least be civil to one another.

"Mr. Potter, calm yourself," Minerva warned him, feeling a duel to be coming on soon if she didn't intervene.

"You'd better watch it, Potter," Blaise snarled and pushed himself to his feet, ready to hex Harry all the way to the North Pole. He had to defend Draco, who was trying desperately not to lose his temper.

"Why should I?" Harry asked coldly, matching Blaise's glare full blast.

"Harry, calm down, mate," Ron said to his best friend cautiously. "It's Malfoy; he's not worth it."

"What's that supposed to mean, Weasel?" Blaise demanded, flicking his death glare at Ron, whose ears became red as his anger began to rise as well.

"What does it sound like it means?" Ron retaliated, standing to his feet too. Now he, Blaise and Harry were all up and ready for a scuffle.

"Boys, sit down," Arthur tried his hand at stopping a possible fight, but the three boys didn't feel they needed to listen to him either. Even Molly gave it a try, but she too was ignored.

"So, you have to have Zabini to defend you, Malfoy? What's the matter? Afraid?" Harry taunted, glaring at the blond, who was visibly shaking from anger.

"Leave him alone," Blaise growled, scowling at the Boy-Who-Lived.

"What's your problem, Potter!?" Draco finally gave into his rage, jumping to his feet as he pinned a cold glare on Harry.

"My problem is that I'm stuck here in this house with the one who killed Dumbledore!" Harry shouted back in reply.

"I wasn't the one who killed him, you Gryffindork!" Draco exploded, his blood boiling.

"You bloody well did," Ron joined into the argument, "you're the one who let the Death Eaters into the school!"

"But I wasn't the one to cast the Killing Curse!" Draco yelled in defense and banged his fist on the table.

"Boys!" McGonogall tried to shout over the four, but she couldn't get their attention. She saw Hermione looking near tears sitting in between the two screaming parties and nodded at her to move from between them. Hermione slipped from the middle of the argument without the boys' notice and moved to the other side of the table to sit beside McGonogall.

"But you're the one who let the Death Eater in that killed him!" Harry thundered, "That means you indirectly caused his death, but you still killed him, Malfoy!"

"He did not! Shut your useless, muggle-loving mouths!" Blaise demanded, shaking his fist angrily at the two Gryffindors.

After Harry's statement, Draco froze, his anger just slipping away. He stared long and hard at the floor, falling instantly quiet. "I've never killed... I can't... If I was the cold-hearted killer you seem to think I am, then why would Granger be alive now?" he asked, his voice just above a whisper, and it caught everyone by surprise.

"What?" Ron asked dumbly.

Hermione saw this as her chance to step in, and as Draco hurried out of the room with Blaise hurrying after him, she said, "I told you two that Malfoy saved me." When both boys nodded, she sighed, "Malfoy was supposed to kill me, right there in front of You-Know-Who, but he couldn't do it. Even though he hates me and can't stand me, he still couldn't stand to kill me or to watch them kill me. So, that's why he saved me... He's not a murderer."

"But, last year, he," Harry began to say, but Hermione cut him off with a cross look.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Harry. I will admit that what he did last year was a pretty bad mistake, but that's in the past, and he's learned from that mistake. He saw what being a Death Eater is really about and realized he didn't want to be a part of it," Hermione stated calmly.

Harry struggled to find something to argue with, but nothing came up as he muttered "but" over and over again.

"Might as well give it up, mate... You know it's no use trying to argue with her.. She's completely mental," Ron said and gave Harry a small grin.

"Is your fury calmed now, Mr. Potter?" McGonogall asked sternly, eying the Boy-Who-Lived carefully.

With a sigh, Harry muttered, "Yeah.." He slipped back down into his chair to pout, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

"Very well," the Headmistress said, "Now, I know that you three want to begin searching for the Horcruxes and put off returning to Hogwarts this year, but I must insist that you return to the school."

Immediately, Harry started to argue. "But, Professor, if we don't hurry and destroy all the Horcruxes, then Voldemort will continue to kill! We need to stop him as soon as possible!"

"I am well aware of that," McGonogall said, silencing Harry, "but it would be wise to return to Hogwarts. You could start up Dumbledore's Army again and continue helping the students prepare themselves. We are at war, Mr. Potter. Would you really leave so many students unprotected?"

Harry mentally groaned as he thought, _So, she's going to play the guilt trip... _"Well, no, Professor," Harry muttered, "but, Voldemort..." He was cut off again.

"Can wait for the time being. You still have much to learn as well. It's the best option right now," McGonogall stated. "Alright?"

"Come on, Harry, it's probably a good idea," Hermione insisted hopefully.

"Yeah. I mean, think about it... Are we really ready for war?" Ron asked meekly, a small smile on his face.

"I've already been involved in this war. And I've handled it spectacularly so far," Harry scowled and stood back to his feet. "I'm already ready for war," he mumbled with his back to everyone in the room, then he hurried out of the room.

McGonogall sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. How had Dumbledore dealt with Harry for so long in all the years before? The boy seemed so moody and hard to persuade.

"Don't worry, Professor," Hermione said, "I'm sure Harry will come around."

"Yeah, he just needs some time to think it over's all," Ron added.

Those comments made the Headmistress feel slightly better, and with a smile, she thanked them then said "I suppose I'll take my leave now." She slowly stood to her feet.

"Are you sure? Why don't you stay for lunch, Minerva?" Molly asked to make sure.

"No," McGonogall replied, "thank you, but I can't. I must hurry back to Hogwarts... There's plenty to be done, and I'm almost certain I'll have owls, possibly some howlers, waiting for me." She laughed lightly along with everyone else before she bid them goodbye. Arthur escorted her to the door, while Molly began making lunch.

Ron and Hermione decided to go look for Harry and see how he was doing. So the two headed straight for the bespeckled boy's room.

Harry, meanwhile, sat in his room on his bed, scowling at the wall, grumbling angrily under his breath. "Why does everyone else think they have the right to tell me what to do? I'm almost of age, and I have faced Voldemort plenty of times on my own, yet everyone still thinks they have the right to treat me like a child!" He fell silent when he heard a knock on his door.

"Harry? Are you in there?" Hermione asked as she knocked. Then, the doorknob jiggled as she attempted to open the door, only to find it locked. "Oh, for goodness sake," she uttered then knocked again and spoke louder, "Come on, Harry, open the door."

"No," Harry replied loudly, not feeling up to arguing with them right now.

"We just want to talk, mate," Ron gave it a try, but Harry still refused to open the door. The two outside the room sighed.

Hermione said, "Alright, you come find us when you're ready to talk. You know where to find us..." When she didn't even get an answer, she had to admit that it hurt, but she had to tell herself that it would all be fine. It would all work out for the better eventually; it always seemed to smooth over on its own over time. "Let's go, Ron..." The two then left, leaving Harry to stew in his bad mood.

On the other hand, Draco was trying hard not to break something as he paced the room that Blaise had showed him to as the blond's own room he would be staying in. "How dare Potter," Draco seethed as he paced, "how dare he!"

Blaise sat perched on the bed and watched as his friend quietly tried to rid himself of his frustration. "It's just Potter, Draco," Blaise finally said, "he's not worth all this pacing and muttering. Just forget it and ignore him."

"I can't forget it!" Draco whined and came to a halt in the middle of the room. "Everything about him is just so annoying, so frustrating, I just can't ignore him. He's impossible to forget! And that only infuriates me all the more!" He flailed his arms out around him, as if to prove how frustrating it was. "I can't get him out of my head, I always think about him! How much of an idiot he is, how I can get under his skin next, how I just wanna strangle him with my own bare hands, how I just wanna hex him to oblivion, how I wish I could shut him up once and for all, how I wish I could just push him up against a wall and kiss him!" His pale, gray eyes widened to the size of saucers, and he slapped a hand over his mouth terrified.

Blaise gave Draco a weird look, then the Zabini's eyebrows rose as he smirked. "Oh, really now? Draco.. I never knew that about you," he grinned.

"Knew what about me?" Draco asked cautiously, mortified that he had said that. It was just a thought that had just ran through his mind.

"That you had a thing for Potter," Blaise stated, his grin growing. "So, that's why you turned to the side of the light then?"

"Wh-what!? Blaise, you imbecile, I do NOT have a thing for Harry, I mean, Potter, I mean... ah, you know what I mean! I hate him! I hate Potter!" Draco shouted panicked, convincing himself that he definitely hated Harry Potter.

"Ah, there's a fine line between love and hate, my darling Draco," Blaise snickered. It was amusing to see Draco so flustered, seeing as the blond hardly ever became so flustered, and over someone he "hated."

"I do NOT love him, Blaise! And don't call me darling!" Draco demanded moodily.

"Alright, my dear Draco, just calm down. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your crush on Potter," Blaise said, grinning ear to ear.

"I. Do. Not. Have. A. Crush. On. Ha—Potter," Draco hissed under his breath.

"Whatever you say, Draco," Blaise chuckled and left the room, "whatever you say..."

Draco was left to start pacing once again, muttering a new mantra under his breath, "I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I can't like him because I hate him..." After a few minutes of pacing, he plopped down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "Just because I want to kiss him doesn't mean I love him or anything... does it?" he whispered to himself, a frown tugging at his lips.

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Kyla: This turned out longer than I expected.. I'm glad it's so long! I feel proud! Lol. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it! 


	9. Chapter 9

Kyla: One of my reviewers said that it would be nice to know why Blaise is on the good side in this story, so... I thought I'd write this and dedicate it to her. Here you go, anna, I hope you enjoy! xD

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Nine  
by  
Kyla Mizuki

In a panic, Blaise flew to a sitting position upon waking from that horrid nightmare, his breaths coming in quick, soft pants as he tried desperately to get control over himself again. He reached up to wipe some of the cold sweat and tears from his face.

It was all Voldemort's fault. It always came back to the Dark Lord, for he was the one to destroy so many lives, to rip apart so many families, even those families of his own Death Eaters. It was his fault that Blaise had been in the Dark Lord's ranks for as long as he had been, but after those first few months, Blaise came to find out that Voldemort's threat had already come to pass, and Blaise was far too late to help his mother.

In order to obtain Blaise as his follower, Voldemort had threatened the boy when he had first turned sixteen years of age. The threat still echoed in Blaise's mind, even showing up in his dreams, turning them violently into nightmares full of gruesome images. Even upon waking from his awful nightmare, Blaise's mind began to replay when he had found out, his eyes dulling as the scene played forward in his mind's eye.

_Blaise had been following the Dark Lord's orders to a tee ever since he had turned sixteen. Although unwilling to do so, he still became one of Voldemort's followers under the impression that he was keeping his mother alive. So, for months now, he had been silently feeding information to the Dark Lord by coded owls from Hogwarts, detailing the goings-on of the school._

_One revelation was all it took, however, to bring Blaise to crave and finally have the cut of his only tie to the Dark Lord. You see, Voldemort had already tortured his mother for the previous months until one day, she just couldn't take it anymore, finally killing herself to escape the Dark Lord's constant torture._

_The Death Eaters were told to keep her death hushed up and to not let Blaise know, but always the cunning Slytherin, the Zabini had managed to catch a whispered conversation between a few Death Eaters. His heart broke when he heard the news, but he acted as if he had no idea. He would continue this stupid game long enough until Blaise was sure he could escape and live to see Voldemort get what he deserved._

_However, Blaise soon tired of the lies and not being able to properly mourn the loss of his mother and finally conceded defeat to himself, turning to Hogwarts' Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He could see no other way out, so with cautious and carefully thought-through plans, he had asked the Headmaster for a private talk, only to have his plans go to ruin when the old wizard seemed to see easily through his sly ways of getting answers without really conceding to the muggle-lover._

_Dumbledore had only laughed, that odd little twinkle shining a little brighter in his eyes, and said that Blaise would be welcomed to the side of the light. Even when Blaise, boiling with rage, yanked his left sleeve up violently to expose the Dark Mark on his skin, the Headmaster gave him a small smile and told him that if he truly desired to be free of Voldemort's clutches, he would not be refused._

_Then, Dumbledore died. Blaise was at a loss at what to do after that. Without Dumbledore, he doubted that anyone would even give him a chance to explain. If he waltzed up to McGonagall or another Order member and asked for protection, there would be no guarantee that they would give him the chance to speak._

_Soon after that, during the summer, Hermione Granger, smartest witch of her age, had been captured. Blaise had mixed feelings about this. He, on one hand, did not like Hermione, her being muggle-born and all, but on the other hand, he didn't want to see her killed for no reason rather than being born without pure wizarding blood. Of course, there was the fact that she refused to side with the Dark Lord or help him in any way. She had even gone so far as to bravely—or not so bravely, depending on whom looked at it—stand up to and insult Voldemort. And what did it earn her? A round of the Cruciatus curse from three or four cloaked followers each, hissing and spitting angry words at her for daring to insult their master._

_Blaise lurked back in the shadows, afraid of drawing attention to himself. He did not want to be the one called upon to kill the muggle-born when the Dark Lord was sure to have her silenced, once and for all. He was surprised, however, when he heard Voldemort say, "Draco will be the one. He has yet to truly prove his loyalty to me."_

_Plans were immediately made, and within an hour or two, a horde of Death Eaters flanked the Dark Lord, Hermione being dragged along haphazardly behind the dark wizards. Blaise fell into step slightly to the left of her, examining the frightened girl out of the corner of his eye. He knew she saw him too, and she looked fearfully surprised to find one of her own classmates in the Dark Lord's ranks. Instantly, shame filled Blaise up to the point that he had made a decision: whatever it took, he would escape the Dark Lord and try for the other side in hopes of a better way of life. He'd rather deal with those born of muggles than with Lord Voldemort, who only cared about himself and wanted nothing more then to watch others suffer._

_Soon, they arrived at the Malfoy Manor, and Blaise saw straight through Draco's built up and carefully carved mask. The young blond was truly troubled that Voldemort wanted him to kill, but he faced it with a fake look of arrogance._

_Blaise watched as Draco tried to cunningly worm his way out of killing the muggle girl off. He could see the war that raged deep inside those stormy gray eyes, and the Zabini silently begged that Draco would make the right decision, unlike himself. He loved Draco dearly and would not allow anything to happen to the young Malfoy if he could help it._

_So, he was ready to help in some way, though he wasn't sure how yet, when Draco's decision was made as he grabbed Hermione's arm and bolted from the Manor he had grown up in, as if he was turning his back on everything he had ever truly known, and that was exactly what he was doing. He watched with a small smile as Draco sped outside, tugging the muggle-born along desperately behind him as they plunged into the woods._

_It took a couple of moments before Voldemort's hissing voice bellowed out the order to take chase after Malfoy, Junior. There was to be no way of escape, and Blaise reluctantly took off with the other Death Eaters, his gaze meeting Severus's momentarily, as if the two were forming a plan._

_Blaise had known about the port key Severus had hidden in the forest in case Draco ever might have need for it. He knew that Draco was no more a killer than Hermione Granger herself, though if needed, the muggle-born would probably kill in order to protect those she cared about. Point was that he knew Draco was not cut out to be a Death Eater. Severus had talked to Dumbledore plenty before of how he needed the Headmaster's word that Draco would be accepted into the Order's Headquarters if he was desperately in need of help._

_Completely shocked. That's what Blaise was when the Dark Lord told him to watch the port key. He had known that Severus had been hidden away in the underbrush just moments earlier with Hermione, but he figured that Voldemort would want more than just one of his followers, especially one who was still in school. There was no room for argument, though, even if he had wanted to argue with the Dark Lord. So he let it be, and when Voldemort and the other Death Eaters were out of sight and hearing distance, he hurried to get Hermione out of the situation._

Blaise had to laugh at the bitter-sweetness of it all. Life had been so simple when he was a child. There was a clear definition of good and evil, always a bad light in a string of good. As he had grown older, he found more about how the real world worked, how life was really like. There was no one to coddle you, no one to take away all your troubles. You either had to get over it and survive, no matter what, or just give up completely and allow oneself to be killed.

His laughter soon turned to tears as he remembered his mother. He hate Voldemort for what he had done, and Blaise would be sure that the Dark Lord got just what he deserved: death-by-Potter. The young Zabini crossed over to the light side so that he could make sure that the muggle-lovers were going to do what they said they were doing, and that was getting rid of Voldemort.

"Don't worry, _Lord_," Blaise grinned, sarcasm dripping heavily from lord, "you'll see... There's something called Karma: what goes around, comes around..."

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Kyla: I know, I know, it's kinda short. I'm sorry, I'll start working on the next one and make sure it's long, kay? Anyways, don't forget the review button, ne? 


	10. Chapter 10

Kyla: Chapter ten! Woot! XD I don't particularly like this chapter.. I'm wanting to hurry to the HarryDraco moments, but I don't want to take it too fast. Hopefully the end of the chapter isn't too far-fetched.. if it is, please review and let me know.

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Draco of the Malfoys No Longer  
Chapter Ten  
by  
Kyla

The next few days were quite awkward for Draco, especially whenever he was around Harry. The blond's face would flush, and Draco would get angry. He didn't know what he would get angry about; he would just get mad and snap at anyone who talked to him. So far, Harry had not spoken to him, not once, but Draco figured the Boy-Who-Lived wouldn't want to talk to him, and it hurt his feelings, making him even angrier. But he didn't know WHY. It was frustrating the boy as he continually chanted in his head that he did not like Potter, not one bit, but... the more he told himself this, the less he believed it.

"Ah, lighten up, Draco," Blaise grinned and clapped his Slytherin friend on the back, "just forget it."

Draco said nothing. Instead, he sent Blaise a death glare, warning the boy to back off, or else. He was not in the mood to hear what Blaise had to say.

"Listen, Draco," Blaise sighed, "seeing as your stuck here, I would suggest you and Potter get over this stupid, school rivalry and at the least be civil to one another. Hermione, Ron, and I have been getting along all right, so why don't you go talk to Potter?" he asked.

Draco snorted, "You're kidding, right? This is more than a school rivalry. We hate each other's guts." He scowled at the floor and crossed his arms over his chest moodily.

"You know that's not true," Blaise smirked. At the confused glare that Draco sent him, he rambled on, "Well, _you_ don't hate him, at least... Because, remember? You just want to shove him against a wall and ravish him!" Blaise swooned, falling to sit beside Draco on the couch. He burst out laughing after that.

"Be quiet!" Draco hissed, his gray eyes flashing dangerously as he slapped a hand over Blaise's mouth.

Blaise laughed and pushed Draco's hands away from his mouth. "Oh, right, don't want your boyfriend hearing us, hm?" he grinned devilishly.

"Blaise!" Draco barked, his face beet red, and glared darkly at the smirking Slytherin. He was getting panicky. This was about the time when the Golden Trio came downstairs for breakfast.

"Alright, alright," Blaise chuckled, "I'm good now. Not another word about you know who." He hopped up and left for the kitchen to join Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Oi, Blaise," Ron said as he, Harry, and Hermione made it into the kitchen, "what were you and Malfoy talking about?"

Blaise shrugged, a smirk on his face, and answered, "Nothing, Draco's just in denial at the moment. He'll come around sooner or later."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked frowning, clearly confused as he, Ron, and Blaise sat down at the table.

"Oh, nothing," Blaise said brightly.

"What do you want for breakfast? I'll cook," Hermione volunteered, shuffling around the kitchen. When the boys told her what they wanted, she nodded and popped into the living room. "Malfo—I mean, Draco," she corrected herself, and when the blond glanced back at her, she continued, "is there anything in particular you would like for breakfast?"

Draco shook his head and said, "I'm not hungry. Thanks though." With that, he stood up and stalked back upstairs.

"Draco sure is acting strange," Hermione mentioned as she bustled around making eggs and bacon. "What did you say was wrong with him, Blaise?" she asked with her brow furrowed in thought.

"I didn't," Blaise stated stubbornly. He did not want to say anything to the trio. This was important, and he was sure that Draco would come around eventually, given his own time and space.

Meanwhile, McGonogall was preparing everything for the start of term. Letters had been sent out two weeks prior. Now, she was merely bustling about seeing to the house elves making sure everything was ready for when her students would arrive a couple of days later.

Remus Lupin had dropped by Hogwarts for a brief visit in order to set up the necessary trip to Diagon Alley. Harry, Ron, and Hermione needed their school things, and there was still the question of if Blaise and Draco would be returning to Hogwarts as well.

"I don't see why Mr. Zabini and Mr. Malfoy cannot return to school on the first," McGonogall replied to the werewolf's question, "Certain precautions may need to be set up, however. All the staff will need to keep close watch on the students. There is a possibility to have spies.. as Mr. Zabini has proven already."

Remus nodded grimly, hating the fact that Voldemort would stoop so low as to use children as spies. He hoped that this war would soon end. The world needed to be rid of the evil lord. "Very well. I'll see to it that all five of them at Grimmauld place get their school things, and I'll see you at the start of term."

The reason that he would see her at the start of term is that McGonogall had given him his previous post of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Remus was glad to be able to find a job, but he feared what parents might say. Most witches and wizards he ran into truly believed him to be in with Voldemort, just because he was a werewolf. He scoffed at the rumors that followed him, but at least he and the people close to him knew that the rumors were untrue, that alone managing to get him through his day.

Remus returned to Grimmauld place, feeling a pang of loss and sadness as he remembered that this house was once Sirius's, the place where one of his best friends lived. Now that Sirius was gone, Remus only gave the appearance that he knew what was going on, that he knew everything, when in reality, the truth and heartbreak of losing Sirius had slowly consumed the werewolf. He felt partly guilty, like it had been his fault, but it really hadn't been his fault. He was lost and had no idea what to do.

With each day, his heart gave way a little bit more, and his health was in decline. There were more gray hairs popping up in his hair. The only thing that kept him there, kept him sane, was Harry, that and making sure that Voldemort was killed somehow. He had to be gotten rid of; too many lives had been lost in this war already.

Sighing with a heavy breath, he leaned against the dark hallway wall. He gently rubbed his eyes in an attempt to sooth his tear-stinging eyes. He didn't have time for this. He had to tell Harry and the other students living in the house that a trip to Diagon Alley was a necessity to prepare for school. As he headed off in search for the teenagers, he began to cough, holding onto the wall for support as he covered his mouth with his hands.

"Professor?" Draco spoke from a few feet away. He hadn't even known the werewolf had left the house. The blond saw him coming in the door though. He saw the sadness on the older man's face and noticed that he was exhausted and ill.

"Ah, Draco, hello there," Remus smiled at the Slytherin as he pushed himself away from the wall. He covered up how ill he felt and walked up to the blond. "Do you know where Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Blaise are? I need to talk to all of you about something."

"Potter and his friends are in the kitchen with Blaise," Draco answered simply. "What do you need to talk to us about? Just tell me first so I can be on my way, then you can go downstairs and tell the others."

"I would rather tell you all at once," Remus said apologetically. He had noticed the animosity between Harry and Draco. It wasn't that hard to see really, but he noted that Draco was trying his best to avoid ever running into Harry, and if the blond was in the same room with Harry, he would scowl, a small, shy blush forming on his face.

Draco sighed, "Fine then. Let's go. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can rest, right? You look awful, Professor." He smirked at the werewolf, arms crossed leisurely over his chest.

Remus chuckled, "Why, Draco, should I take that as a compliment or an insult?"

Draco scowled, looking angry with himself for being so buddy buddy with the werewolf. Somehow, everything Draco had been raised to believe was slowly becoming nonsense to him. Remus Lupin didn't act like an awful creature or anything. Absently, Draco bit his lip while he thought.

"Draco?" Remus frowned and set a hand on the boy's shoulder, instantly bringing the blond back to reality. "Draco, is there something on your mind?"

Draco scowled and shrugged off the older man's hand. "No, sir. I'm as fine as I can be being stuck in a house with so many muggle-lovers," he replied scathingly. Whenever in doubt, he used harsh words and angry glares to protect himself. Whatever he was thinking was his business and he would deal with it on his own. He didn't need anyone. "Now, are we going to the kitchen or not?" he snapped, elegantly spinning on his heel and strutting off.

The werewolf watched Draco until the boy turned down the stairs. Then, he followed along with a small sigh. When he walked into the kitchen, Draco was on the far side of the room while the other four teenagers were situated at the table.

"Remus," Harry greeted with a wide smile.

"Hello, Professor," Blaise waved cheerily while Ron and Hermione said hi as well. Draco grumbled something under his breath, wanting Remus to say whatever he was going to say so the blond could get away from Harry.

"Good day," Remus returned smiling, "you wouldn't mind a word, would you? I need to talk to you about something."

"Not at all," Hermione replied, "What is it?"

"As the five of you are returning to Hogwarts in a couple of days, we must go to Diagon Alley to purchase your school supplies," Remus said, noting the way Harry's eyes flashed dangerously, "so we will leave off tomorrow. None of you are to wander off from myself, Arthur, and Molly, understood?"

Harry's hands fisted up as he scowled at the tabletop. He had not planned on returning to school this year. He was going to search out the Horcruxes and defeat Voldemort once and for all, but McGonogall had to guilt him into returning to the school. Just because he had to go back to Hogwarts does not mean he had to be happy go lucky about it.

"Of course," Blaise responded, "it's suicide to wander off from your protection, eh, Professor?" He grinned at the werewolf, who returned the grin and laughed nodding his head.

"When will we be leaving?" Hermione asked.

"We'll head out just an hour after sunrise, so you'd best get plenty of sleep tonight. Lots to do tomorrow," Remus stated brightly.

Draco, meanwhile had been standing there frozen. He was expected to return to Hogwarts? Whatever for? It's not like he had the money for his school things, and he doubted it would be a safe idea. At least here at Grimmauld place, Draco's father could not find him, but if he went back to school, his father could find him easier. Plus the school was full of spies for the Dark Lord, and he was sure of some that would not hesitate to tell Voldemort that Draco and Blaise were back at Hogwarts.

"I don't think Blaise and I should go back to Hogwarts, Professor," Draco spoke up as Remus and the others talked about the plans for the next day. Well, Harry wasn't. The Boy-Who-Lived was seething in his chair over something, hands clenched tightly.

Remus looked to the blond and frowned in thought. "Whatever are you talking about?" he asked quizzically.

"Blaise and I are now considered traitors to the Dark Lord, and if we were to return to Hogwarts, it would just cause trouble for everyone, especially Blaise and myself. Our families could find and come for us at any time. As if you didn't know, there are many students that spy for the Dark Lord, and I am sure that they would not hesitate to pass the information that Blaise and I are back at school to the Dark Lord. It would only put us in further danger," Draco stated blandly, scowling at the man as if to say that the reason was so obvious.

"Hogwarts is one of the safest places on earth," Remus replied with an encouraging smile, "you and Blaise would be very much safe there. We have all sorts of precautions set up at school, and further security measures have been taken."

"You people are stupid!" Draco thundered, "The Dark Lord is not someone you can easily outsmart! He has so many under his control that you never would have thought!" A vicious scowl slid over his face as he clenched his fists, knuckles turning white. "You have no idea what kind of power he has!"

Remus looked at the blond with a sad smile. "I'm sure that's true, Draco, but we know to at least an extent of his power, and we have made as many preparations for the school as we can. Harry will be starting up Dumbledore's Army again to let students practice ways to defend themselves, and all the professors will be sure to keep a close watch on all the students."

"Oh, so we're depending on Saint Potter again, are we?" Draco sneered, anger boiling to its peak. "What help has Potter been in the past? He's gotten people killed, you idiots! What kind of hero is that!? He's had numerous chances to finally get rid of Voldemort, yet he has not done so! He's nothing but a teenager! How do you expect him to beat the Dark Lord!? It's useless!"

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry exclaimed, his anger surging roughly through him. "Be quiet, you don't know what you're talking about! You know nothing about any of this!" he spat at the blond as he spun to face Draco.

"I know that we are in the middle of a war, Potter! And you're apparently the only one to depend on, but you can't even help yourself! You're just a coward, ready to turn tail and run back to Hogwarts, where you'll be protected!" Draco remarked furiously.

"Now, now, calm down," Remus called over the two teenagers, but they ignored him, Hermione, Ron, and Blaise's attempts to quell the fighting.

Harry rushed forward and thrust Draco against the wall, leaning forward to glare into the Slytherin's gray eyes. "You have no clue what you're talking about, Malfoy! I don't want to go back to school! I had planned on destroying Voldemort this year, but I'm being forced into returning to Hogwarts! Don't you ever, for a minute, think that I would willingly run from danger! It's my job to defeat Voldemort, and I will defeat him! Don't ever call me a coward, Malfoy, or else you'll wish you were facing Voldemort instead of me!"

"Oh, I'm so scared of Saint Potter," Draco exclaimed, voice heavy with sarcasm as he pushed Harry away from him. "All fear the Boy-Who-Live's righteous fury!"

Harry snapped out his wand and had it poked between Draco's eyes, effectively silencing the blond. Both boys were panting from yelling so much, but Harry kept his wand on Draco, who was trying his best to appear defiant and brave when he was really terrified. Harry was mad enough at the moment, that the blond didn't doubt that Harry would not hesitate to jinx him.

"Boys!" Remus shouted, finally getting their attention without having to yell over them. He raced over and pushed himself in between Harry and Draco, scowling at the two boys. "Enough is enough! Now, whatever is going on between the two of you, I suggest you talk it out," he said quieter this time as he released the two boys, who glared at one another still.

"That's impossible, Remus," Harry stated bluntly, "Malfoy and I just don't get along. We never have, nor will we ever." His hand gripped his wand tighter as his fury continued to rage inside of him.

"Only in your dreams, Professor," Draco replied icily, not even sparing a glance at the werewolf.

"No, your problems can and will be talked out. Blaise, Ron, Hermione, go on upstairs, alright?" Remus asked the other three, who murmured in agreement and left, Blaise the last in leaving as he looked back at Draco in worry. "Go on, Blaise," the werewolf said over his shoulder to the Slytherin standing in the doorway, who nodded and unwillingly left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Now, I must go talk with Arthur and Molly about tomorrow. You two will sit in here and talk things out. Neither of you are to leave until you've gotten over whatever animosity is that each of you hold for the other, got it?" Remus asked the two, who were still glaring at each other but reluctantly nodded nonetheless. So, the older man left after taking both of their wands. He locked the kitchen so that others could get in, but no one inside could get out.

After a couple minutes of silence, Harry sighed and moved back over to the table to plop down in a chair. He let out a tired groan and set his head on the table, thumping his fingers mindlessly on the tabletop. "So, what now, Malfoy?" he asked quietly.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Draco snapped irritably.

"Well, seeing as we are not friends, I will not call you Draco," Harry said blandly, tired of fighting and arguing. He sighed as he felt a headache coming on. He was not having a good week, what with arguing with Draco every day and having all those awful nightmares about Voldemort at night. He couldn't seem to get any rest.

"We could have been friends," Draco muttered, sadness coursing through him. He and Harry could have been friends when they first started Hogwarts, but Harry had refused him.

"What did you say?" Harry asked, quickly looking over his shoulder at the blond slumped against the wall.

"You heard what I said, Potter," Draco said harshly, glaring at the dark-haired boy.

"Oh come off it," Harry grumbled, "me and you haven't gotten along at all for the past six years. We can't be friends." He wondered if that was true though. Draco hadn't seemed like such a git after running from Voldemort. The blond didn't insult him or his friends as much, and he seemed to have been avoiding Harry for a few days now.

"Doesn't matter, I still get tired of arguing with you," Draco said snidely, "You always think you're right."

Harry took a deep breath to calm his anger. He clenched his hands into tight fists in order to keep his fury under control. "If you weren't such a git to me, then we might could get along," he stated boldly, sending the blond a scowl over his shoulder.

"You act like a git to me, so I'll act like a git to you," Draco replied stubbornly, arms crossed over his chest as he slid down to sit on the floor.

Harry sighed and stood up muttering, "I'm only doing this for Remus..." He walked over and held out a hand to Draco. "Truce?"

Draco eyed the hand carefully, as if afraid to take it. "What's in it for me?" he asked suspiciously.

"Some peace and quiet. If we call a truce not to act like a git to each other, then we can both rest a little easier," Harry said as he kept his hand extended. He was offering the blond an alliance. Perhaps not friendship like Draco had wanted in first year, but perhaps, with time, they could stand to be in the same room together.

"Why do you need rest, Potter? You get pampered and have everything you need," Draco grumbled but took the offered hand anyway, feeling himself being pulled to his feet by the Gryffindor. The touch sent a shiver up the blond's spine, however, as he thought back to what he had said a few days before, about how he wanted to kiss Harry Potter. He hurried to pull his hand free of the Potter's grip, scowling at the Boy-Who-Lived.

"You have no idea, Malfoy," Harry growled, fighting the urge to punch the other boy.

"Don't call me that," Draco demanded, eyes narrowing in warning.

"Why? It doesn't matter if your father disowned you, you are still of his blood, you're still a Malfoy," Harry explained moodily.

Draco sighed, "Whatever, Potter... You're too stubborn."

Harry grinned and replied, "I know." After a few minutes of awkward silence, Harry muttered, "So... What do we do until Remus gets back?"

Draco shrugged and went to sit at the table. "What is there to do?"

"Well, let's talk about how you've been avoiding everyone for the past few days," Harry said, joining the blond at the table. He sat across from Draco and watched the Slytherin carefully.

Draco's face flushed. "That is none of your business," he growled, glaring at the tabletop. He hated being stuck in here alone with Harry Potter, and with the thoughts he had been having about the Boy Wonder did not help the situation.

"Fine, be stubborn, Malfoy," Harry mumbled and scowled across the table.

Just then, Remus walked in and nodded his head. He was glad there was not as much aggression between the two now. There was still a tension, but that would be better than having them hex each other every time they argue. He let them leave the kitchen finally, and the two separated ways to go to their own rooms.

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Kyla: I just felt like I should update some of my stories. Hope you enjoyed it! See you next chapter! 


	11. Chapter 11

Kyla: Well, here it is! I kind of had writer's block on a couple parts, but I got this chapter done! YAY! Lol. Enjoy!

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Draco of the Malfoys No Longer  
Chapter Eleven  
by  
Kyla

The next morning came around, and it was time for the trip to Diagon Alley. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Blaise were already congregated downstairs in the kitchen, waiting on Remus, Ron's parents, and Draco. After a few minutes, the werewolf and Arthur and Molly entered into the room, all looking slightly disgruntled.

"Blaise," Remus sighed, "we can't seem to get Draco out of his room. Might you know of a way?" He looked to the suddenly smirking Slytherin.

"Of course, Professor," Blaise exclaimed jovially and left up the stairs. He came to a halt in front of Draco's bedroom door and knocked lightly. "Oi, Draco, you in there?"

"Go away, Blaise," came Draco's voice, muffled by the door, "I am not going."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Right," he said unconvinced, "well, if you really don't want to go, I suppose I'll get to have Potter all to myself today! Don't worry, I'll keep a very close eye on him." The sly grin on his face grew when he heard a slight shuffle inside the room.

"Don't you dare," Draco growled, sounding closer to the door.

"All right," Blaise faked a sigh, "I'll just tell him that you'll be waiting in bed for him then? I'll let him know how much you want to ravish him and tell everyone how you just couldn't go today because you were afraid you would jump the Golden Boy. Would you rather I do that?" he asked seriously though he was close to cracking up.

There was another sound of shuffled footsteps. A pause filled the upstairs until Draco muttered, "You wouldn't..." His voice trailed off anxiously, fairly sure that Blaise would indeed follow through with his threat.

"Oh, you know I would, Draco," Blaise replied grinning madly, "you know I would. Anyway, we should be back sometime this afternoon. See you!" With that he turned and started off down the hall at a leisurely pace.

"Wait!" Draco shouted, anxiety written all over his face as he swung his door open and ran out into the hall to stare horrified at Blaise's back.

Blaise paused and looked over his shoulder at the blond. "Yes?" he asked casually. When Draco tried to say something, nothing came out, and Blaise sighed, "I can't wait around all day, Draco. I got things to say, people to see..."

Draco's eyes widened to the size of plates. "NO!" he shouted terrified. He took a deep breath and said, more calmly, "Okay, you win... I'll go... just give me a minute to get changed..." Dejectedly, the blond walked back into his room to change, pushing the door halfway shut.

Blaise grinned triumphantly and waited in the hallway for his friend. He was fairly manipulative, but it was Draco's own fault for liking Harry Potter. He had made it too easy for Blaise to have this power over him, and Blaise was sure that he wouldn't let this power go to waste.

"Let's go," Draco said briskly as he swept past Blaise and down the stairs, refusing to look at his friend.

Blaise chuckled and followed after his friend. He was sure this would be an interesting day. He and Draco walked into the kitchen, where everyone else was gathered. They were to floo to Diagon Alley.

"Ah, so Blaise did manage to drag you out of your room after all," Remus chortled amused. "What's your secret?" he asked Blaise.

Blaise shrugged, a big grin on his lips. "Like you said, Professor, it's a secret," he said slyly, leaving the others to try and draw their own conclusions.

"Can we go now?" Draco snapped, getting quite uncomfortable.

"Of course, of course," Molly exclaimed brightly and offered the floo powder to everyone, each person taking a handful from the bowl. "Ginny, you follow after Remus," the elder woman instructed to her daughter, who nodded.

Remus was the first to step into the fireplace. He enunciated clearly, "Diagon Alley!" In a roar of green fire, the werewolf was gone. Next, Ginny went through, followed soon by Ron, Hermione, Harry, Blaise, Draco, Arthur, and finally Molly.

"Right, first stop will be Gringotts then?" Arthur said brightly and ushered everyone out of the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace. The group headed out back and entered into Diagon Alley, making a beeline for Gringotts to withdraw some money.

Draco and Blaise waited outside with Remus while the Weasleys and Harry dipped into their vaults and Hermione exchanged some muggle money for the wizarding world's currency.

As Harry and the Weasley clan made it to Harry's vault after stopping by the Weasley's vault, Harry's face burned with embarrassment and shame when he was withdrawing some money from his vault. He could feel the Weasleys' eyes following him, and he felt awful. No matter how many times he offered to share whatever was in his vault with the family, however, he was always refused. He still felt bad though.

Harry gathered more than enough for himself, but that was only because he planned on trying to at least pay for lunch or something for everyone that day. Plus, it was always nice to have some currency with oneself, in case something were to come up.

All in all, the Boy-Who-Lived was relieved when he was out of Gringotts. He was the first one out of the bank. When the Weasleys were out as well, the group headed for their next destination, which was Flourish and Blotts to get their schoolbooks.

"How do you expect us to get our books?" Draco, referring to himself and Blaise, snapped at Remus, "it's not like we have any money."

Blaise elbowed Draco discreetly and shook his head. "It's fine, Draco. I've got some saved up. We can split it," the boy said brightly and flashed the blond a wide smile as he drew out a small, heavy sack of money.

Draco's face fell suddenly. He was stupid to not have tried to do what Blaise had done. He should have saved up some money in case of emergencies. "No, that's all right," he near-whispered, "you keep it. Use it on what you want... I'll just borrow your texts," he added with a smirk, "or maybe you'll let me skip the books and just borrow your homework?"

Blaise blinked before laughing, "You know you don't want to borrow my homework!"

Remus smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Draco, we will get your books. You must have them." When Draco went to speak, the werewolf held up a hand to quell the flow of arguments and said, "Don't worry about the money. I think we can manage enough to get your school supplies, but as far as spending money goes... well..."

Draco sighed, "That's fine, Professor."

Harry had overheard the conversation, but acted indifferent. He would pay Remus back if the werewolf was going to pay for Draco's school things. Either that, or Harry would pay for the blond's school supplies himself and not have Remus bother with it, which is how it turned out. He had ended up grabbing Draco's books and heaping them onto the counter with his own purchases, telling the man he was paying for them jointly.

Draco's face flushed in shame. He did not want Harry's pity, and he voiced this thought bitterly, arguing with Harry, who ignored him and paid for the books without so much as batting an eyelash at the blond. Then, Harry roughly shoved the books back into Draco's arms and scowled. "I didn't do it for you, Malfoy," he stated irritated. With that, he began to ignore Draco again as he waited for the others to make their purchases as well.

Blaise leaned down to whisper in Draco's ear with a mad grin on his face, "Oh, look at Potter... He's already buying you things! Just makes him all the more irresistible, hm?"

Draco glared at his friend and swatted Blaise away from him after hissing to his fellow Slytherin, "Be quiet, you idiot! Do you want the whole WORLD knowing?"

Blaise laughed and pushed a seething Draco out of the store in order to follow the rest of the group, their next stop being Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions and Scribbulus Everchanging Inks to restore their ink stocks, both of Draco's purchases paid for by Harry yet again, further making the blond upset.

Lunch came to pass, and the group settled on one of Diagon Alley's many cafes, picking one of the tables with brightly-colored umbrellas outside. The day was so nice, that it would have been a shame to eat inside somewhere and pass up the pleasant day.

As the day wore on, Draco's guard slowly fell. At first, he had been wary about coming to Diagon Alley. He feared he would see his father or other Death Eaters. So far, however, he had seen none, and little by little, he let his guard fall as he joked around with Blaise.

It was because of Draco's lack of attention to his surroundings that an arm reached out from an alleyway and jerked him from the group. The boy went to scream, but a voice whispered a silencing curse on him. His gray eyes widened fearfully when none other than Lucius Malfoy leaned forward to reveal himself to his son, the hood on his cloak falling away so that Draco could see the triumphant smirk on the man's lips. "Hello, Draco," Lucius whispered with an insane grin.

Blaise, who had stumbled in confusion when Draco was jerked away, finally came around and scowled. He drew out his wand and rushed into the older Malfoy, knocking Lucius away. Being sure to keep his wand on the glowering Lucius, Blaise chanced a glance at Draco out of the corner of his eyes and muttered, "You okay, Draco?"

Draco, shaky and still under the influence of the silencing curse, nodded his head and fumbled to draw his own wand. The three were then at a stand-off, and Lucius made no move to back down. He felt confident of himself to be able to take on two young, inexperienced wizards. It was only when Remus hurried to Blaise and Draco's side and asked, "What in the world? Ah, Lucius Malfoy..." The werewolf then trained his wand on the elder Malfoy, as well.

Lucius glared at the three standing before him. His gaze lingered on Draco, who narrowed his eyes cautiously. No one could ever tell what Lucius might have up his sleeve. The older Malfoy suddenly smirked at who he had once called son. "Beware, Draco," was all he said before apparating away.

"Are you both alright?" Remus asked in worry and looked closely at each boy in turn.

"I'm fine, Professor," Blaise replied distracted. His attention was already on Draco as he asked the blond if he was alright too.

Draco tried to speak. His mouth opened and formed words, but no sounds came out. He choked and coughed then decided on merely nodding yes in an unsure manner. He didn't understand why the other two weren't removing the silence spell on him. He scowled at them and stamped his foot and pointed to his throat, mouthing the words, "Undo the spell, you idiots!"

"What in the world?" Blaise asked, bewildered. He didn't know what to do and looked to Remus for help. However, Remus was just as confused. He guided Draco back to the others, Blaise following along behind, and questioned the blond on what happened, giving him yes or no questions.

Molly and Arthur decided it was best to cut the trip short and head on back. So they ushered a group of whining teenagers while Remus and Blaise stuck with Draco and tried to figure out what was happening.

"What's wrong with Draco, I wonder?" Hermione whispered as she, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and even Blaise were ushered out of the room.

Blaise, in a grumpy mood and angry at being shooed out as well, grumbled, "His father attacked him... Something's wrong with Draco, but I'm not sure what. It's like he can't talk..."

"At least it will be quiet around here for a while," Ron shrugged as he carried on up the stairs as if he didn't really care.

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione watched as Blaise scowled at Ron's back before the Slytherin hurried to catch up to Ron and trip him on the redhead's way up the stairs. "Oof!" Ron hit the stairs with a thud and groaned as he sat up. Harry and the two girls laughed quietly at Ron, who winced at the now-forming bruise and glared at Blaise's retreating back.

Blaise matched the glare by throwing one of his own over his shoulder. "Next time, think about what you say, Weasel King," he snapped before going on his way and ignoring a highly annoyed Ron.

"Here," Harry was still grinning as he held out a hand to help Ron up. The redhead grunted and took the offered hand, standing up and dusting himself off.

"I hate to say it, Ron, but I think you deserved that," Ginny giggled at her brother.

"Oh, shut up," Ron scowled at his baby sister.

Hermione was giggling as well, but she was able to say, "I agree, I think you might have ended up pushing Blaise just a tad too far." She and Ginny looked at one another and laughed at the image of Ron falling gracelessly.

"Oh, bloody brilliant! You're both siding with a Slytherin! Honestly, Harry," he rolled his eyes, "what is the world coming to?" He and Harry shared a laugh, too, and the four made it up to the last few stairs and settled into Ron's room—it being the closest to them—to play Exploding Snap and some Wizard's Chess.

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Kyla: What'd you think? Don't forget to review real quick! It'll make me so happy! XD 


	12. Chapter 12

_As always, I don't own any of the characters in Harry Potter._

Kyla: Alright, I know it's taken awhile, but filling out college and scholarship applications has NOT been easy.. or quick... lol. Anyways, I want to dedicate this chapter to _wizli _for the idea towards the end. XD Thanks _wizli_! I really appreciate it! It was very fun to write, lol.

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Twelve  
by  
Kyla Mizuki

Draco made his way up the stairs slowly and quietly with a silent sigh. It had taken calling in Kingsley Shacklebot to undo the curse Lucius had graciously put him. It was late at night, and Draco was now heading to bed. He gasped when Blaise pulled him into his room and immediately started asking him question after question.

"Blaise," Draco's scratchy voice said over the other Slytherin's questions, "Blaise, I'm fine! They were able to remove the curse, my throat's just a little sore."

Blaise fell silent and looked Draco over carefully before heaving a relieved sigh and grinning, "Good, I was beginning to get worried. It wouldn't be any fun to tease you about Potter if you can't talk back!" He winked playfully at Draco.

Draco rolled his eyes and snorted, "I swear, you are so infuriating, Blaise!" But he laughed lightly and playfully shoved Blaise, who tried to look hurt.

Blaise's grimace turned to a wide grin as he said, "Yeah, but that's why you love me."

"You wish," Draco replied heartily, a relaxed smile on his face.

"I'm hurt, Draco," Blaise whispered and held a hand over his heart. The two then shared a laugh. "Alright, time for you to go to bed," he said all of a sudden and started pushing Draco to the door and down the hall.

"Excuse me?" Draco asked as he raised a delicate eyebrow at Blaise.

"It's late, and you were cursed earlier! You need to rest," Blaise whispered into his ear so as not to wake anyone up. He pulled Draco into his room and gently pushed the blond down on the bed. Then he tucked the whining Draco into bed.

"I'm not a child, don't treat me like one," Draco complained and scowled at his friend.

"Aw, poor Draco," Blaise teased. "Night, see you in the morning," he said and brushed his lips over Draco's forehead before leaving back for his own room.

"You are one crazy person, Zabini," Draco muttered to himself and grinned at the ceiling. Then, he let silence fill the room, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, someone was shaking Draco's shoulders to wake him up. "Draco, wake up!" Blaise's voice said from beside the blond's bed.

"M, give me five more minutes.. 'M still tired," Draco grumbled, still half asleep.

Blaise rolled his eyes and yanked the covers off the pale boy's body, causing Draco to, in turn, shiver at the sudden chill he felt. "Draco, time for breakfast!" Blaise urged, his stomach grumbling all the louder, demanding him to go on down to the kitchen and forget waking Draco, but he couldn't do that, so here he was, awakening a sleeping dragon that could possibly give him a painful bruise or two.

"Alright already!" Draco growled, throwing himself to a sitting position to give Blaise a drowsy glare, his tousled blond hair making him look far less frightening. "I'll be down in a few minutes," he grumbled and pushed himself out of bed. "Go on," he urged the other Slytherin with a scowl.

"You sure you don't want me to--" Blaise began but was cut off by the look on Draco's face.

"Yes, I am sure. I think I can manage to make it downstairs on my own," Draco snorted as he pulled out some clothes and began to dress as Blaise exited the room swiftly, after sticking his tongue out immaturely at the blond, who merely rolled his eyes.

Draco entered into the kitchen stifling another yawn. Without a word to anyone, he sat down and began adding food to his plate, ignoring the Golden Trio, the rest of the Weasleys, and Remus, as well as Blaise, but Blaise was never one to idly sit by and let Draco ignore him. Oh no, most definitely not.

"Feeling better, Draco?" Blaise asked with a wide grin and moved over to wrap his arms around Draco's shoulders. He set his head on the blond's shoulder and tickled Draco's ear with the warm breath that he breathed out.

Instantly, Draco tensed, and glared at his fellow Slytherin out of the corner of his eye. "Blaise," he hissed, face flushing red as everyone around them watched with surprised expressions on their faces. "Blaise," he said again, harsher, "stop that right now. Back off... Blaise!"

Blaise smirked. "Oh come now, Draco," he cooed and absently played with some of Draco's hair, twirling the blond lock around his fingers, "no need to be so shy. You just looked like you needed some loving."

Draco scowled angrily, annoyed at Blaise being so lovey-dovey in front of everyone. "Blaise, this is the only time I'll ask nicely. Now, would you _please_ leave me alone and let me enjoy breakfast?!" he snapped, eyes flashing dangerously in warning.

"Aw, you don't have to be so mean," Blaise mumbled but pulled back and went back to his breakfast plate, a pout engraved on his face.

Draco rolled his eyes then glared at everyone seated at the table. "And what are you lot looking at? Nothing to see here," he snapped and started nibbling on his breakfast.

Harry looked about ready to say something in reply, but Remus broke in, wanting to avoid another argument. "Now, now, everyone, calm down." When everyone fell silent, Harry stuck in a glaring contest with Draco, Remus continued on, "Everyone, Molly, Arthur, and I have business to attend to. We trust that the lot of you," he paused to look at each person with a stern gaze, "can all manage to not kill each other until we return?" His voice was somewhat casual, but also a warning lied behind those words.

"Of course, Sir," Hermione piped in first, smiling brightly. Then, she elbowed Ron, who grumbled ow and agreed, though without as much enthusiasm as the bushy-haired girl. She then sent Harry a warning look.

Harry sighed upon seeing Hermione's face and reluctantly muttered something along the lines of "Sure, no problem.." Then he uttered something under his breath that sounded something like, "Just so long as that git leaves me alone..."

Remus nodded to the three Gryffindors with a smile then turned to the Slytherins. "Draco? Blaise?" he asked politely.

"Yes, sir," Blaise answered jovially and wrapped an arm around Draco's shoulders. "Draco and I will be on our best behaviors! Right, Draco?" he asked with a wide grin, noticing that Draco still glared at Harry but nodded all the same.

"Right then," Remus said brightly, "we'll be off then, shall we?" he asked Arthur and Molly. The two Weasley's stood to leave. Molly was the last to head for the fireplace, seeing as she was reminding the group to eat a good lunch and some things to get done. In order to get her out, her husband sighed and had to gently steer the woman over to the fireplace and let her go ahead of him.

"Take care," Arthur called out to the group as he vanished behind his wife in a blast of fire.

Remus just smiled at them all and bid them ado until he and the other two returned.

"Alright, here are the real rules," Harry said with an icy glare at the two Slytherins, who eyed him oddly, as if he were some weird creature on display. "You stay out of our way, and we'll stay out of yours, if you think you can handle that."

"What is your deal, Potter?" Blaise demanded, getting quite tired of Harry instigating fights and making Draco hurt worse. "What have we done since we came here to deserve such hostility? I thought Dumbledore's side was full of good, kind-hearted wizards, but you're beginning to make me wonder if there is a difference between you and the Dark Lord's sides."

"You're not dead yet, are you?" Harry snapped, his temper getting the better of him. "Don't you _dare_ try to tell me that I'm like Voldemort because I'm not. I'm far more merciful and have much more of a heart! Your kind don't have any heart at all! All you know is self-preservation and selfishness! Don't try to talk to me about honor or kindness!" His hands were clenched tightly into fists, as his emerald eyes flashed furiously behind wire-rimmed glasses.

"How _dare_ you!" Blaist thundered furiously. "Don't say things like that! Of course we have a heart and feelings, but as long as your stuck in the old days of a ridiculous school rivalry, you're never going to see it!"

"Maybe I don't want to see it!" Harry shot back, shaking off the calming hand Hermione had set on his arm in hopes of calming him down. "Because it doesn't exist! How can you see something that's not there?" he bellowed, his temper definitely flaring wildly about.

"Harry,--" Ron began, but Harry cut him off to scowl at him.

"H-Harry, just calm down," Hermione said as calmly as she could, her voice quivering slightly. "You scare me when you get like this... and you're even scaring Draco..." she added sofftly, gazing at the blond on the other side of the table.

Immediately, everyone else's eyes went to look to Draco, who was slightly paler, eyes and facial expressions being forced to look calm, but Blaise knew that Draco was really upset. "So what if I'm scaring him?" Harry snarled and slammed his hands down on the table, making a loud banging noise that made everyone cringe. "Go on, Malfoy," Harry dared, "if you're scared, why don't you run to Daddy? Oh, but he doesn't want you around either."

That was all Draco could take. With tears on the brink of falling from his eyes, he shot to his feet and howled, "_I hate you_, _Potter_!" Then, the blond ran, ran straight from the room and upstairs until he came to lean against the wall in the second floor hallway. He sniffed and desperately wiped at his eyes to get rid of the tears. He didn't want to cry, and he didn't see why he was hurting so bad on the inside. He rushed into a nearby bathroom to throw up, because he felt quite sick.

In his grief, Draco knocked a small hand mirror down onto the floor. The mirror immediately shattered, random, sharp pieces of glass skittering everywhere over the floor. He then stooped down to shakily pick up one of the shards of glass, examining the smooth, reflective surface and the jagged, dangerous edges. His mind drifted back to what Harry had said, about him only caring about himself, about Draco being a coward. It hurt, really hurt, and unconsciously, he clenched his hands into fists, the glass in his right hand cutting the flesh, thus allowing crimson blood to slowly ooze out, as he tried to blink back the tears in his eyes.

"That was low, Potter," Blaise stated coldly, "even for you." Without another word, he hurried after Draco, afraid to leave the blond alone when so upset. Who knew what Draco would possibly do? And it was a good thing Blaise followed after Draco. "Draco!" Blaise yelped and rushed over to the blond. He uncurled Draco's fist and removed the shard of glass. He examined Draco's hand before sweeping the shards scattered on the ground away from the sink. Then, he gently pulled Draco over to the sink to wash away the blood on his right hand. "It's alright, Draco," he said absently as he scrubbed with a tender touch to get rid of the blood. Next, he cast a small healing charm, the only one he knew, and sighed in relief as the hand was healed. "There, all done." He smiled at his friend. "Come on, let's get you back to your room..."

Draco sniffled but allowed Blaise to steer him out of the bathroom and halfway to his room before the blond just collapsed into Blaise's arms and started sobbing heavily. Blaise blinked, arms suddenly full of an insecure and distressed blond. "Sh, it's okay," Blaise murmured and wrapped his arms around the trembling boy, kissing Draco on top of the head as he ran his hands through the blond locks.

Downstairs, however, there was no comforting going on. Hermione was having a talking-to with Harry, who sat with a defiant glare on his face. He listened to his friend nonetheless. "Harry, that was awful! How could you say such things? Especially when you could see it was upsetting Draco! Honestly, Harry, I thought you were better than that!"

"It's just Malfoy, Hermione! And why do you call him Draco? His father isn't really mad at him! This is just all some kind of trick to get info on the Order or something! Don't be so bloody ignorant!" Harry exclaimed angrily, pushing himself to his feet.

Hermione gasped, looking upset enough as it was. Luckily, Ron jumped to her rescue. "Harry, mate, I can't say that I like Malfoy either, but he did seem pretty upset when he left. Should you have really thrown that about his dad into the mix?" Ron asked and set a comforting, encouraging hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Not you too, Ron," Harry deflated slightly at seeing his two best friends telling him he had overreacted. He groaned and collapsed back into his chair. "But he deserves it! He's been a git to us for all these years! How can the both of you just forget all that? Forget that he is Lucius Malfoy's son, a _Death Eater's _son!"

"We haven't forgotten, Harry," Hermione said after a moment's silence, "but it's not good to hold onto this school rivalry. Draco and Blaise both wanted to escape, and they did. They came to us for help, they came to the Order. I hate to say it, Harry, but the way you're holding onto your past between you and Draco and Blaise... it reminds me terribly of, of... Voldemort. We'll be just like him if we can't learn to forgive and care about everyone... Do you really want to be like Voldemort, Harry?"

Harry gaped at her, mouth opening and closing as he tried to come up with a retort. "But," he started off weakly, "but, how can we forgive him? He.. he was the one that.. got Dumbledore killed..." This was his last line of defense, but Hermione broke it away too, leaving Harry feeling lower than dirt. The guilt was building. He let out a heavy sigh in exhaustion, "Right, I'm sorry..."

"We're not the ones you need to be apologizing to," Hermione said softly, eyes boring into Harry's. She nodded to the doorway and said, "Draco is."

Harry groaned but stood to his feet. "Alright, I'm going, I'm going," he grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. The door was shut with a sharp snap as he left the room and trudged upstairs.

Meanwhile, the soft embrace between Blaise and Draco had transpired into a make out session. Blaise had easily maneuvered them into Draco's room and onto the blond's bed, where Blaise was straddling moaning Draco. Blaise kissed up and down Draco's neck, nibbled at his earlobe, and let his hands crawl up Draco's shirt to stroke the blond's sides teasingly.

Draco let out a moan and wove his fingers into Blaise's hair, tilting his head to the side to give the Zabini more access to suck and tease and kiss his neck. "Oh, Blaise," he groaned, panting lightly as his friend continued to taunt him, and tugged gently at Blaise's hair.

It was then that Harry swung open the door without knocking. He came to an abrupt stop at what he saw, his face instantly heating up and his eyes stretching wide. The boy could only gape at the two as he watched on, a warm sensation pooling at the pit of his stomach.

Blaise caught sight of Harry out of the corner of his eye and smirked to himself. If Harry wanted a show, Blaise could definitely give him one. So, he kissed his way up to Draco's lips, plunging his tongue into the blond's mouth as he groped Draco's rear end, pulling them flush together. This action cause Draco to give a loud, muffled moan, completely oblivious to their audience.

In response, Blaise kissed along the blond's jawline, still keeping the two quite close together, and came to nibble and tease Draco's earlobe. The blond groaned out something inaudible and wrapped his arms around Blaise's middle, clinging tightly to his friend, and whimpered when Blaise began to grind his hips carefully against Draco's.

Harry suddenly jerked from his stunned place, and a hand shot up to his face as a nosebleed hit him. Dazed and confused and turned on, he raced out of the room, down the hall and into the bathroom to take a nice, cold shower...

_**((To Be Continued...))**_

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Kyla: Um, yeah, so there it is. The last scene with Blaise and Draco had my face kinda red cause that's the farthest I've written of a slash pairing.. I can read it no problem, but writing even something milder is still weird... but anyways, I hope it turned out good. I'm going to post this before my nerve makes me redo the ending.. lol. 

_Don't forget to review!_


	13. Chapter 13

Kyla: I know, it's been a while, but I get a long weekend this weekend, so I'm trying to update some of my stories... This is the one I had the most written on, so I decided to update this one first. So.. enjoy!

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Thirteen  
by  
Kyla

Harry groaned as he slipped his clothes on after his cold shower. "I'll never be able to forget that," he moaned in defeat. Before he stepped out of the bathroom, he splashed some cold water on his face and brushed his hair. Then, he made his way to his bedroom. He just had to walk past Draco's room...

As he came upon Draco's door, Harry paused, listening intently for any sounds. When all he heard were the sounds of light snores, he heaved a relieved sigh and hurried past the door, not daring to look in. That would be asking for trouble.

"Made it," Harry muttered and slumped onto his bed. He allowed his body to collapse and relax as he stared absently at the ceiling. No matter what he did, however, his thoughts still slipped back to what he had seen. His face flushed red, and he clenched his eyes shut while he groaned pitifully. "This isn't fair! Just go away!" he scolded himself. "I do not want to think about this!" Angrily, he threw himself off the bed and hurried downstairs to find Ron and Hermione. Those two could help him get his mind out of the gutter.

"There you are, Harry," Ron said when his friend entered into the living room and collapsed onto the sofa. "We were wondering what took you so long. I was afraid the ferret had gotten ya," he laughed.

"How did it go?" Hermione asked the Boy-Who-Lived.

"How did what go?" Harry asked obliviously, staring at her in tired confusion for a moment. When she scowled at him and asked how it had went apologizing to Draco, Harry's eyes stretched wide, a blush threatening to take control of his face. "Um, it, uh... I didn't exactly.. apologize.."

"Harry!" Hermione scolded sternly.

Harry shook his head violently and defended himself as best he could. "I really was going to apologize to him! I was! It's just that," he let his voice trail off as he seemed to find the floor very interesting at the moment.

"Just that..?" Hermione prompted.

"He was a little.. preoccupied," Harry mumbled, a furious red lighting up his cheeks.

"What do you mean preoccupied?" Hermione asked, curious as to why Harry's cheeks had flamed red just then. It wasn't like Harry to blush. "Are you alright? You look like you might have a fever... Your face is all red," she pointed out for him.

"Harry?" Ron spoke tentatively after Harry groaned and slumped back into his seat. "You okay, mate? You don't look so good..."

Harry pushed himself to his feet immediately. "Yeah, come to think of it, I'm not feeling all that great... I think I'll go lie down and get some rest... Okay?" He looked from Ron to Hermione for an answer.

"Sure," Hermione conceded, "go rest. I'll try to bring you up some lunch in a few minutes."

"Right, thanks," Harry gave them both a small smile, faking sickness and sluggishly making his way up the stairs until he was out of their sight. Then, he bolted back to his room and threw himself angrily into the sheets. He furiously kicked and punched and lashed out at the bed until he calmed down and lay there panting, his gaze trained on the ceiling.

After a few minutes of silence, Harry's ears picked up on sounds of people in the hallway. Drifting through his partially closed door were voices. One was Hermione, and she had encountered Blaise and Draco on her way to his room.

"Oh, hello, Draco, Blaise," Hermione greeted pleasantly.

"Hello," Blaise replied in kind, "what are you up to, Hermione?" he asked, curiously peeking at the bowl of soup that sat on the platter Hermione was holding.

"Oh, Harry wasn't feeling too well, so I sent him to his room to rest and told him I would bring him up some soup," Hermione explained. Then, her eyes grew wide, and she said, "Oh no, I forgot, I have something I really need to do... Er, Draco, would you mind taking this to Harry?" she asked, gesturing for Draco to take the platter.

"Um, no, that's fine, Hermione," Draco tried to refuse. He didn't want to face Harry, and as Harry listened from his bedroom, the Golden Boy didn't think he could take facing Draco either, not after what he had witnessed...

"Oh, come on, it'll be all right," Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved the platter gently into Draco's arms before giving the blond a light push oh his back. "Just go in there and set it down at least," she said with a sigh. "Oh, and Blaise? I need your help with something, please," she added turning to Blaise, who lifted an eyebrow curiously.

"Yeah, sure," Blaise murmured suspiciously. "It'll be all right, Draco," he told the blond and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Just go in there, put the stuff down, and leave. You don't even have to talk to him if you don't want to," he said softly.

With a sigh, Draco conceded defeat. He watched as Hermione and Blaise wandered off chattering about something or another. Then, the blond took a deep breath and squared his shoulders before slipping an indifferent mask onto his face and waltzing into Harry's room without knocking.

"I would knock from now on if I were you," Harry groaned, voice muffled as a result of him hiding his blushing face in the pillow.

Draco made a small noise in his throat to let Harry know he had heard him. With a nobleman's grace, Draco set the platter carefully on the nightstand beside the bed. Straightening up, he hurried to get out of the room, but before he made it to the door, Harry's voice drifted into his ears, and his heart ached as he came to a stop halfway to the door.

"Listen, Malf," Harry started quietly, but when he saw Draco flinch, he quickly changed roads and said, "Draco... I, I'm sorry.. for earlier, you know..."

"It's fine," Draco said stiffly, wanting to escape from the room quickly.

"No," Harry frowned, "no, it's not fine. Since you and Zabini came here, neither of you have started a fight... It's always been me and my big mouth..." There was a tense silence until Harry slid out of bed and padded over to Draco, who tensed at the sound of footsteps coming up behind him. Gently, Harry grabbed Draco by the shoulder and spun him around where the two were face to face. After the silence seemed to thicken and neither moved or even dared speak, Harry decided to break the silence, "Go on then, get your revenge." At the confused look Draco sent Harry, the Gryffindor sighed, explaining further, "hit me, kick me, hex me, curse me... do something."

"Ha ha, you-you're crazy, Potter," Draco chuckled uneasily. He stepped back, only to be matched by Harry as the Golden Boy took one step forward.

Harry stared at Draco, seeming to look into the blond's soul to see if there was really a Death Eater inside the young blond. From the two feet he was, Harry could not see any trace of evil. "You've really changed, do you know that?" Harry asked suddenly.

"What?" Draco inquired softly, a confused frown pulling his lips down.

Harry stepped closer, but Draco backed up a step in reply. "You're different than when we first met... You've changed. Do you even see it?" he asked curiously.

"See what? What are you talking about, Potter?" Draco snapped, wanting to hurry things up. He didn't know how much longer he could take the ache in his heart

Harry sighed. "Nothing, Draco," he muttered, "nothing..." With that, he walked back over to his bed and plopped down before pulling the platter into his lap.

Draco was now confused and hurried out of the room, bumping into Blaise on the way downstairs. Blaise immediately asked him if he was alright and if Harry had done anything to him.

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Kyla: I dunno.. this chapter doesn't seem very good, but eh, maybe you guys will like it. I really don't have much idea for what I want to happen next but I'll work on it! Lol. xD 


	14. Chapter 14

Kyla: Yay! I finally got it out!! lol. Anyways, well, here it is! Hey, there's actually some action going on in this chapter! Woot! Ha ha. XP So, enjoy! And don't forget to drop a review!

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Fourteen  
by  
Kyla

The day before they were to depart for Hogwarts, the resident students at Grimmauld Place were bustling around and hurrying to finish their packing. Ginny was in search of her jumper that her mother had made her while Hermione was double checking to make sure she had everything.

Ron and Harry were both taking their sweet time, talking about the upcoming school year and Quidditch while they threw their possessions in haphazardly. The two did not even bother to properly fold their shirts or cloaks or anything. Hermione had all ready been by to see if they were packing and had tsk'ed at them, lightly scolding them before she was on her way again.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Not everyone is perfect as her," he muttered. Then, he mocked Hermione, acting like he was a Hermione panicking about something a week before it needs to be done. This earned him a laugh from Harry.

A little while later, Blaise and Draco stopped at the door to tell the two that they needed to hurry up. "Hey, you two, hurry! We have to leave soon," Blaise said. He and Draco sent one another a look of disgust at the mess that the two Gryffindor's trunks were in.

Draco shook his head with a sigh when he saw Ron struggling to get his trunk closed. "Honestly," he scoffed and marched into the room, "it is not that difficult. Everything would fit fine if you took the time to fold your clothes properly."

"Shove off, ferret," Ron grumbled, shooting a scowl at the blond.

Again, Draco sighed. He pushed Ron out of the way and opened the redhead's trunk, where he set about taking some things out and reorganizing it carefully. He folded some of the tossed in clothes, and soon, he had finished. "There you go, Weasley," he said, closing the trunk with much more ease than Ron had earlier.

"Um," Ron was dumbstruck, "thanks.. I guess..."

Draco glared at Ron. "Don't think I'm trying to be all buddy-buddy with you. I merely helped because we have to leave in a few minutes. So, hurry up," he snapped and walked back over to Blaise, who was smirking at the Gryffindors. The blond felt his friend's arm come to rest round his shoulder possessively.

"Hey, Draco," Blaise whispered into Draco's ear, "it looks like Potter might need some help as well..."

Draco glanced at Harry to see the Gryffindor using as much of his weight as possible to try and close his trunk. Sighing, the blond Slytherin walked over and tapped Harry on the shoulder. "Here, let me," he stated in a somewhat bored tone. When Harry stepped to the side rather reluctantly, the blond rearranged the mess that was Harry's trunk.

While he was organizing the Golden Boy's trunk, he noticed the state of the clothes, as well as their size. He mentally compared them to Harry's size and body type, but it was none of his business. Perhaps Harry merely enjoyed wearing loose-fitting clothing. He carefully pulled out a too-big, tatty pair of old socks from the trunk, his nose scrunched up delicately in disgust. "Must you keep things like this, Potter?" he asked, holding the socks up to show Harry.

Harry blushed lightly. Those were two of Dudley's old, worn socks that the Dursleys had "graciously" given him. Scowling, he snatched the socks from Draco's grasp and stuffed them back into the trunk. "None of your business," he said gruffly, pushing the blond gently away from the trunk to close it. "Thanks," he added distractedly as he clicked the trunk shut.

"Don't thank me, Potter," Draco said evenly, making a swift exit with Blaise as the two Slytherins headed downstairs.

"It's odd seeing Malfoy being.. well, being tolerable," Ron observed once he was sure both Slytherins were out of earshot.

"Yeah," Harry answered.

"And, um, have you noticed how Blaise acts with him?" Ron inquired, his face turning red. "You don't think that Blaise and Malfoy are... are..." He seemed to be unable to find the right words.

"Are what, Ron?" Harry asked, hoping Ron was not thinking what he thought he was thinking. Surely Ron was not suggesting what Harry thought Ron was suggesting... _No, not now! I'd almost gotten that memory of Blaise and Malfoy out of my head! Don't say it, Ron. Please, don't say it..!_

"Do you think they are.. going out?" Ron finally asked, his ears reddening at the thought.

Harry felt like he could just about die at that moment. "I, I don't know, Ron," he muttered, hiding his blushing face by checking to make sure he had not missed something in his hurried packing. _He just had to say it, didn't he?_

"That would be terrible! Can you imagine it?" Ron had a sour look on his face as he heaved his trunk up.

"Actually, I would really rather not," Harry grumbled. He followed Ron out of the room, both lugging their trunks behind them. They made it downstairs moments later to find that everyone else had gathered at the door all ready.

"It's about time," Hermione huffed, "what took you so long?"

"Sorry, Hermione," Harry apologized sincerely with an awkward smile, efficiently interrupting Ron before the redhead could start an argument. "So, are we ready to go now?" he added and stepped forward to open the door.

Then, he froze, his eyes growing wide. The others behind him peeked outside, and many gasped. For a moment, no one moved as the students plus Arthur, Molly, and Remus all stared on in shock at the group of robed Death Eaters positioned around the front yard of Grimmauld Place.

"Why, hello, Potter," a cold voice said from the Death Eater standing in front of his fellow Death Eaters.

Harry immediately recognized the voice to belong to none other than Lucius Malfoy. From the corner of his eye, he saw Draco tense in his spot standing just off to Harry's shoulder. The others looked just as terrified.

Before any of them could say anything, Lucius raised his wand, aiming straight for Harry Potter. "Avada," he began to form the words that would end the Gryffindor's life and this war. Without the Boy-Who-Lived, the rest would follow until none were left except those who supported the Dark Lord or feared him far too much to rise against Lord Voldemort. Lucius did not get to cast the spell and rid the world of one Harry Potter, however, because, at just the right moment, something happened.

Blaise, being the first to come out of his shock, jumped to action. "Get back, Potter, are you that stupid?!" he exclaimed and rushed forward. He grabbed Harry by the arm and jerked the boy back inside Grimmauld Place. Then, he hurried to shove the door close and lock it, before casting a locking charm on the door.

By the time Blaise backed off the door a little, his wand held up cautiously at the door as the Death Eaters attempted to get in, everyone else was madly chattering. Arthur, Remus, and Molly were all whispering feverishly, keeping close eyes on the door, which suddenly started to experience the crushing force of magic trying to break it down. Hermione had grabbed hold of Ron's arm almost instinctively while Harry had fell back onto his rear from when Blaise had tugged him roughly. Draco looked pale, his skin loosing more color every time there was another rebellious creak from the barely-holding door. From inside the house, they could hear the muffled voices of the Death Eaters.

"Tell me there's another way out," Blaise said in a forced but calm voice and trained his eyes on Remus Lupin as he wrapped his arms around Draco, who slumped into his fellow Slytherin's arms, legs like jelly.

Lupin looked around quickly before saying. "Right, everyone to the fireplace then," he said briskly and herded the group of people back into the kitchen, "we'll floo."

"Floo where?" Hermione asked, wearily listening for any sounds of Death Eaters.

"Floo to The Leaky Cauldron," Arthur instructed, "and once we are there, Tom and I will personally make sure this place is blocked.

"But, this is Sirius's house!" Harry suddenly entered into the conversation. "I am not letting Voldemort get this house! Who knows what he'll do to Sirius's things!" he exploded angrily and came to a halt at the kitchen doorway, scowling at the others that huddled around the fireplace.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Remus sighed, "but at the moment we need to get out. There's nothing we can do if they storm in and take control of Grimmauld Place, but we can't very well let them get any of us!" He stepped forward and grabbed Harry's arm, trying to literally pull the boy over to the fireplace.

Harry tore his arm from Remus's grip. "You mean me, right? Can't let them get me? That's what you mean.. isn't it?" He glared fiercely at Remus, then at Molly, who tried to coax him over to the fireplace.

"Come on, Harry," Hermione shrieked and gripped Ron's arm tightly. She looked at Harry with imploring eyes, begging him to hurry because that door would not keep the Death Eaters out that long. If they could find Grimmauld Place, it was only a matter of time before they got in.

There was suddenly a loud boom from upstairs as the door fell. Death Eaters stormed in, and the group in the kitchen could hear their voices and the thundering of footsteps. Molly rushed Ginny into the fireplace first, then hurried to push Ron and Hermione in as well. Though the two fought to stay and make sure Harry came with them, Arthur convinced them that he and Remus would not let Harry remain to fight all those Death Eaters and that the three of them would be along shortly. So, after some coaxing, Blaise and Draco were bustled into the fireplace, soon followed by Molly.

Remus ran over and pulled Harry further into the kitchen before immediately shutting the door. He did this while the others flooed out of Grimmauld, and he placed as many protective charms and spells on the door as he could remember. "Harry, we have to go," he said, voice stressed and eyes glimmering in a bit of a panicked way. Tugging on Harry's arm, he managed to get the stubborn boy within two feet of the fireplace, but Harry again pulled his arm out of the werewolf's grip with a defiant "no!"

It was at that moment that Death Eaters were working on getting through the door to the kitchen. Harry, Arthur, and Remus all looked at the door with wide eyes. When Harry turned to look back at Arthur and Remus, he saw them beckoning him over. Truth be told, he was terrified, but he couldn't just let the Death Eaters walk in here and take away one of the few places Harry felt safe!

Arthur held his hand out to Harry. "Harry, come on, please. I promised Ron and Hermione, as well as, Molly, that we wouldn't leave without you. If you insist on staying, so will we, and there is no possibility that we can take on the large number of Death Eaters.. Now, come on!"

"But," Harry began to speak. He was not sure of what he had planned on saying but he was interrupted by the flare of green flames in the fireplace took the three by surprise. All three instantly turned their gazes on the fireplace, half-expecting more Death Eaters to find a way to get in through the floo, but instead, Draco Malfoy stood there, pale but proud.

Draco stormed over to Harry and grabbed his arm in a bruising grip. "Enough is enough, Potter, come on!" He hauled a surprised Harry into the fireplace and hugged the Gryffindor to him before throwing some powder into the floo and exclaiming "The Leaky Cauldron!" In a rush of green flames, the two were gone.

Arthur and Remus looked at each other in momentary amazement before following, one after the other. Just as Remus disappeared into the green flames, the door gave way and Death Eaters hurried inside, spotting the fact that they had missed the group by seconds.

When they attempted to get through, they found the fireplace to be blocked, and in a fit of rage, Lucius Malfoy cast Crucio on one random Death Eater. They had failed their mission, and Voldemort would not be happy, especially not with Lucius, who was in charge of the whole thing. So, the Malfoy cursed his luck before finally ordering the Death Eaters to return with him to the Dark Lord.

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Kyla: I had thought about making this chapter longer, but this is about all I could squeeze out of me today... I haven't felt that good.. Hey, maybe I should be sick more often! Ha ha, seeing as I had writer's block till today. XP Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Keep an eye out for the next chapter..! Not sure when that next chapter will be out.. sorry, ha ha. Well, guess that's all. See ya later!


	15. Chapter 15

Kyla: All right, well I really wanna update at least ONE of my stories before Spring Break because I won't be here that week. For the first part of the week, I'll be up in Kentucky, and for the weekend, I'll be at a Technology Fair with my computer class, so my spring break's booked! Anyway, hopefully this is long enough now. I'll try to see if I can get the next chapter out before I leave for Kentucky, but I'm not sure yet... Either way, don't forget to review, please!

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Fifteen  
by  
Kyla

As soon as the group was safe and sound in the Leaky Cauldron, Arthur hurried to block off Grimmauld Place. He heaved a relieved sigh when he was sure the Death Eaters could not get through, then he hurried over to Remus and Molly, leaving them instructions to hurry to King's Cross while he went straight to the Ministry.

Meanwhile, Draco had drug Harry over to a table in the back corner. Roughly, he shoved the Gryffindor into a chair, scowling down at the tousled mane of black hair. "What were you thinking, Potter?" he demanded icily, hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry snapped and moved to stand up from his chair. He did not have to sit there and listen to Draco—of all people—tell him how what he had done was wrong. He was not a child to be ordered around.

"No," Draco refused and pushed Harry rather violently back into the chair. He heard Harry grunt slightly at the unexpected action, and Ron and Hermione both glared at Draco and tried to intervene. "No," he repeated, "just be quiet, you Gryffindorks! I'm trying to drill some common sense into Potter's thick skull!"

Blaise moved to stand beside Draco. In hopes of calming the blond, he set a hand carefully on the boy's shoulder before leaning down to whisper, "Draco, it's all right, just let it go..."

Draco's glare became focused on Blaise, who shrunk back slightly at the harsh look. The blond shrugged Blaise's hand off before looking back at Harry. "I will not let it go, Blaise! Potter's got to learn that if he keeps on the road he's on, there's no hope of him ever defeating the Dark Lord," he muttered harshly. "You hear me, Potter?" he asked menacingly, leaning forward to meet Harry's wary gaze.

Draco was not for certain on why he felt so angry with Harry all of a sudden. Maybe it was because the Gryffindor was showing off his hero complex again, but deep down, he thought that he was afraid that Harry might actually die if he kept on like he had been. _Am I afraid of losing Potter? Certainly not!_ He scoffed at the thought before focusing on the, now glaring, Harry Potter.

"It was my godfather's house, Malfoy," Harry replied angrily, "I didn't get to spend much time with him when he was alive, and now I can't even keep a reminder of him? It was his house! One of the few places that I have ever felt safe! Don't tell me what I did was wrong!"

"Oh," Draco sneered, arms crossed over his chest as one pale eyebrow raised slightly, "and just what did you plan on doing exactly?"

"I was going to fight the Death Eaters," Harry stated through gritted teeth. His clenched fists rested in his lap, shoulders tense with the effort of keeping control of his emotions. It would not be a good idea to start a fight right in the middle of the Leaky Cauldron.

"And you think that you alone could have won against all those Death Eaters?" Draco asked testily, his eyes narrowed coldly.

"Leave him alone," Hermione demanded and stood in front of Harry. She faced Draco and matched him glare for glare. "It's in the past, we are all safe, so drop it."

Draco studied the girl before him intently then sighed. "Fine, baby Potter like you always do," he grumbled and stomped off to another table, where he collapsed moodily into a chair. He was soon joined by Blaise, who set about calming Draco down.

"I can't stand him," Harry growled. He glared daggers at Draco's pretty blond head as the two Slytherins fell into a whispered argument over something. _Wait.. Malfoy's pretty blond head? Arg, that ferret is so annoying! Not pretty; annoying!_ He furiously shook his head then turned to talk to Hermione and Ron. Together the three of them all talked about how annoying Malfoy had been.

"But, Blaise, if they continue to baby Potter like that, then it's going to be his downfall!" Draco whispered fiercely, a fire burning in his eyes.

Blaise shifted somewhat uncomfortably in his seat. "I know, Draco, I know," he murmured then fell silent, mulling over something as he looked intently at the tabletop. After a moment of silence, he met Draco's gaze and asked, "You really care about Potter a lot, don't you?"

Startled, Draco's eyes widened, and the fire dulled slightly. He had not been expecting that, and a blush crept onto his pale cheeks. "What? No, of course not," he scoffed and redirected his gaze to the tabletop where his fingers were drumming absently, "that's ridiculous... Why would I..? No, you've got it wrong, Blaise."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Draco," he said to catch the blond's attention. "Draco," he repeated and gently coaxed the blond to meet his eyes again, "you can tell me if you are. It won't matter to me. I'll listen when you need someone to talk to, and I won't tell another soul anything you tell me, I swear... If you're going to lie to me, at least don't lie to yourself..."

Draco gave in with a small sigh, resting his eyes shut for a moment before opening them again to focus on his friend. "As much as I hate to admit it," he muttered, inconspicuously glancing over at Harry for a moment before looking at Blaise once again, "I.. I think I do, Blaise... I really think I do..."

Blaise grinned triumphantly. "Thought so," he chuckled, "after all, there's a fine line between love and hate." He laughed outright when Draco flashed a scowl at him and slapped his arm while hissing about being quiet. "Right, don't want your true love to hear us," Blaise cackled, earning himself another slap on the arm from Draco, who, despite the teasing, couldn't help but grin slightly as well.

"Look at him," Harry seethed to Ron and Hermione, glaring at Draco out of the corner of his eye. "He's probably over there laughing and making fun of me," he muttered angrily and threw an icy scowl at the table he sat at.

"Harry, I think that maybe he's changed... Both him and Blaise," Hermione said softly and gently sat a hand on Harry's shoulder. She received a disbelieving grunt in return and rolled her eyes. "Honestly," she said, "I think we should give them a chance.. try to get to know them. This year probably won't be easy on them.. They may very well be shunned by their house mates, or by quite a few of them anyway, and if we don't try to get along with them, there's a chance the other houses will think they can taunt them... It's possible that they may become quite accustomed to the hospital wing..."

Harry sighed and wiped a hand over his face, as if wanting to to wipe away all the stress and expectations. He did not want the weight of the world on his shoulders, and now he had to try and get along with Draco Malfoy? He had heard that war changed people, but it was changing too much of Harry's world for him to stay sane much longer. "All right," he finally agreed, "if Malfoy doesn't start acting like the same old git once we get back at Hogwarts, I'll try my best..."

Hermione smiled at him. "It'll all turn out," she said, sounding certain.

Just then, Remus made his way over. "You lot ready to go?" he asked the five Hogwarts students, who all nodded and stood. "Come along, we'll be taking the Knight Bus to King's Cross. Hurry now, we need to hurry," he said ushering the students outside just as Molly summoned the Knight Bus.

The ride to King's Cross was relatively made in silence. Now and then, Remus would come by to make sure everyone was all right before he returned to his seat. For the most part of the trip, however, the Golden Trio all sat together talking while Blaise and Draco sat a few seats away talking to one another. Once they arrived at the train station, they were quick and eager to get off the Knight Bus, but they had to hurry inside the station, for eleven o'clock was drawing near. They had to hurry.

Once on Platform Nine and Three Quarters, Draco and Blaise immediately split off from the group and wasted no time in boarding the Hogwarts Express. They managed to snag an empty compartment, and for a few minutes, it was just the two of them.

"What do you figure this year will be like?" Draco asked absently as he stared out the window at all the families saying good byes to one another. He couldn't help it, he felt somewhat left out. After all, who would be there to tell him good bye? Heaving a big sigh, he turned to look instead at Blaise.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Blaise muttered and slumped into his seat as a way of portraying how tired he was, "this year won't be easy... The rest of the Slytherin House will probably want to have nothing to do with us, and if that happens then the rest of the Houses may feel they have the perfect opportunity to get some revenge on our House... So, when we get there, don't ever go anywhere without me.. ever," he ordered, staring hard at Draco, "unless you are with Weasley, Potter, and Granger, got me? And don't say you won't because it's likely you will. Besides, we've got to get Potter to fall madly in love with you after all." Blaise smirked at Draco, who blushed and grumbled something inaudible under his breath.

It was at that moment that a small group of Slytherins slid open the door, apparently hoping the compartment would be empty. To their dismay, however, they found the two traitors, or so they were told and assured of by their parents, sitting there. The group gave Blaise and Draco cold glares as they filed into the compartment. "All right, out," one burly seventh-year that Blaise and Draco had never really even spoke to said to them.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but we were here first," Draco snapped, not sounding the least bit sorry while he retaliated with glares of his own.

"Who cares?" Pansy sneered and walked in to wrap her arms around the burly Slytherin's torso, "There are more of us, so we are kicking you out. Too bad.. Oh so sorry for this Blaise, Draco," she cooed in a fake sweet tone, clearly being sarcastic and insincere.

"Yeah, right," Blaise commented dryly. "So, is this how it's going to be? Are you going to shun us?" he asked with a smirk.

The group of Slytherins in front of Blaise and Draco deflated some. They had counted on being able to bully Blaise and Draco and making them feel like the traitors they were supposed to be. But there stood Blaise smirking at them like nothing was wrong, like he had not ran from the Dark Lord. The group did not know what to do.

"Just get out," Pansy said through a clenched jaw, "this compartment is ours. Go sit with the likes of Longbottom." They all sneered at Blaise and Draco, silently threatening them to leave immediately.

Blaise and Draco glared right back at them, their glares holding much more venom and disgust. Blaise motioned for Draco to go ahead. Then, he followed the blond, keeping a cautious glare on their fellow house mates. "They don't realize what they're getting into," Blaise murmured to Draco as they made their way down the train, attempting to find an empty compartment.

Come to find out that there was no empty compartment. Draco sighed and propped himself on the corridor wall. "What now?" he asked looking around.

Blaise looked around also, absently biting at his lip. All of a sudden he caught the sound of the Golden Trio's voices drifting from a nearby compartment. "Come on," he said and started walking, a confused Draco trailing behind him. "Hello," Blaise said as he slid the compartment door open to reveal Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville, "room for two more?" Without waiting for an answer he stepped inside and took the empty seat next to Nevile. "Hello, Longbottom," he greeted pleasantly.

"Uh, h-hello," Neville replied cautiously. He sent a curious, somewhat frightened look at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who all shrugged like it was no big deal.

Blaise noticed that Draco still stood in the doorway. He rolled his eyes and said, "Honestly, Draco..." He pulled Draco into the compartment and gently pushed the blond into the empty seat across from him, which was right next to Hermione. After he was sure Draco was seated, Blaise closed the door to the compartment and put his and Draco's trunks up. "There," he said, seemingly satisfied, and sunk back into his seat.

For a few moments, silence reigned while each person tried to think of a way to break the uncomfortable silence that had taken over the compartment. Tentatively, Hermione spoke up, "So, did the two of you run into some problems?" She looked to Blaise, who seemed to be the one out of him and Draco that would speak up more often.

"Yeah, you could say that," Blaise sighed. "It's going to be a long year," he muttered, shoulders sagging slightly. "So, are the three of you interested in giving us a helping hand?" he asked grinning at the Golden Trio like a fool.

"What did you have in mind?" Ron asked cautiously.

"Oh, nothing too bad," Blaise said easily and waved his hand, as if to brush aside the Gryffindors' worries and suspicions, "but do you think you could get Gryffindor to lighten up on us? Draco and I are going to be on our own, and it would help if we didn't have to fight the entire school to get to class everyday."

"Sure, I think we could do that," Hermione piped up, "it might take some doing, but not impossible. What do you think, Harry?" she asked the silent Harry Potter that sat two seats down.

"What?" Harry asked suddenly as he returned to what was going on in the world around him, his eyes losing their glazed over, thoughtful look. When Hermione repeated what the group had been talking about, a blushing Harry muttered in reply, "I guess... If Malfoy won't start anything, neither will I."

Draco bristled at the comment and scowled at Harry. "Don't worry, Potter, I'll try to avoid you as much as humanly possible," he stated coldly.

"Good, then it's a deal," Harry nodded his head, clearly satisfied with the turn of events. It seems he would not have Draco Malfoy to worry about getting into fights with. That was a load of his shoulders, but Harry also felt different now. Over the years, Draco had always been there to taunt Harry and bait him into fights, overall making him forget about whatever he was worrying about at that particular moment. What would this year be like without the same old Malfoy to fight with?

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Kyla: All right, five pages, and I kinda like this chapter, though not much is going on it, so don't ask me why I like it, but eh, anyway, reviews are always welcome! xD 


	16. Chapter 16

Kyla: Hullo, all! Sorry.. this is being posted later than I had hoped... I was going to try and update this story Friday, but that proved to be impossible. Saturday was out of the question as well because of Prom, but anyway, it's finally here! Not a lot of action going on in this chapter... Oh, and if I got Slughorn wrong, I'm sorry. I did some research on him online since it's been a while since I've read any of the Harry Potter books again..haha. Anyways, review, please!!

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter 16  
by  
Kyla

The welcoming feast that night was not what it usually was. Many of the older students were eerily silent throughout the Sorting. Soon, Minerva McGonogall, recently-appointed Headmistress, stood up to make the welcome speech that was once always made by one Albus Dumbledore. She briefly explained the rules then moved on to more pressing business.

"As you might have noticed, we are missing Professor Snape," Minerva stated bluntly, a small amount of anger noticeable in her tone. "Now, do not think you will get out of any classes," she added, "we have someone to fill his position so none of you will be denied the class." She gave a small wry smile at the disappointment that seemed to radiate so strongly from the students. "Returning as Potions teacher, and becoming Head of Slytherin, is Professor Slughorn. Also, please welcome your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin. Some of you may remember him from a few years back."

There was some scattered applause and whispers as Remus Lupin stood up along with Horace Slughorn. The two resumed their seats once most of the applause fell silent, and Minerva continued on with her speech before allowing the feast to begin. Soon enough, however, the feast was over. Students began departing from the Great Hall, all intent on climbing into their own beds and getting a good night's sleep. After all, classes were to start the next day.

Among the students heading off to bed were Draco and Blaise. The two received many cold looks from not only the other houses but also from members of their own house all throughout dinner. It became apparent when Blaise and Draco came upon the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room that no allies could be found within the House of Slytherin. The two were forced to stop when they realized that none of their house mates had bothered to share the password with the duo.

The two tried knocking and yelling, attempting to get someone to come open the door for them, but the entrance remained stubbornly, rebelliously shut. Draco sighed and slumped down onto the dungeon floor, setting his face in his hands tiredly. He did not like how this year was turning out thus far. "What are we going to do now?" he moaned absently.

Blaise scowled darkly at the entrance for a moment until he heaved an aggravated sigh. He bent over swiftly and grabbed Draco's arm. "Come on, Draco," he said, pulling the blond along behind him. Together, the two left the dungeons and headed up the Grand Staircase. "Hm," he paused on the second floor, pondering where he should go. On the one hand, he could go straight to the Headmistress's office, but on the other hand, he could go see if Harry, Ron, or Hermione could help him, "this way," he said.

"Where are we going, Blaise?" Draco asked in aggravation, eyes narrowed slightly at his friend.

"Um, I don't know yet," Blaise said absently, looking both ways down separate hallways. He really had no idea what to do yet.

"Great," Draco mumbled. With a sigh, he let Blaise pull him along through the castle's hallways. "Why not go to Slughorn? You were in his Slug Club last year. He could help us," the blond said, annoyed to the point of stopping and refusing to take another mindless step forward.

Blaise looked a little anxious at that. "Yes, we could, but I'm not so sure... Even if we get into the Common Room, I wonder how safe we'll be..." At the apprehensive look on Draco's face, Blaise continued with a sigh, "If the rest of the Slytherins are going to the point of trying to keep us out of the Common Room, then who knows who will try and pull something on us... I wouldn't doubt if the Dark Lord orders some of them to even try to kill us..."

Draco looked frightened at the thought. "I should have known there was no getting away from the Dark Lord... I should have just been the son my father wanted me to be... Then, I wouldn't have to worry about being killed," he sighed.

Suddenly, Blaise growled and grabbed Draco roughly by the shoulders. With little effort, he slammed the sputtering, confused and slightly frightened blond up against the wall. "Don't you ever, ever say that," Blaise snapped, ignoring the whimper that issued forth from Draco, "if you stayed on the Dark Lord's side, what do you think would have happened, hm?"

Draco stammered out something inaudible and whimpered at the tight grip his friend held his shoulders with. He tried to compose himself, but the look on Blaise's face made him very much uneasy. He always tried to stay on Blaise's good side, because being on his bad side brought you face to face with a very scary Blaise.

"Let me enlighten you," Blaise stated in a quiet, stern tone, his face drawing closer to Draco, the Zabini's warm breath ghosting over the blond's face, "had you remained with your father and the Dark Lord, you would have been killed regardless. They don't even care about you! You are disposable to them, what makes you think you wouldn't die? You would die a worse death by following the Dark Lord. At least the Order cares if we are alive or not! Don't you ever, and I mean ever, think that you would have been better off with the Dark Lord!"

"But, my father," Draco tried to say meekly, but he was cut off by his friend.

"Your father," Blaise snarled, eyes full of so many different emotions that Draco would have loved to take another step back away from his friend. "I am so very tired of those words coming out of your mouth! Can't you see who your father really is? He doesn't care about you! Look what he did! After you decided to finally be your own person, he disowned you! He's tried to _kill_ you! For as long as I have known you, almost every time you opened your mouth and said something, it was something about your father! You've let your father influence everything about you!"

As Blaise's rant came to an end, he took notice of Draco's face. There were tears in the blond's eyes, and fear and sorrow radiated from him as he tried to turn his head away so his friend would not see his face. He was ashamed. He knew what his father was like, but he had been raised to think the world of his father, and it hurt terribly to know his father did not really care for or love him.

One look at Draco's face and Blaise's fury left him. With a defeated sigh, he let his head fall to gently rest on the blond's left shoulder. He took a shuddering breath before speaking. "Listen, Draco," he murmured, "I'm sorry.. It's just... I care about you. You know that, right?" When he heard Draco manage a yes through a quiet sob, he continued, "It just hurts to hear you still talk about your father.. I can't believe you would rather stay with him and the Dark Lord when you get safety on the Order's side... You can't get that for certain safety with the Dark Lord... I know things are not the best right now, but you can't just give up and wish you had stayed on your father's side... You have to keep on going..."

"... I know," Draco whispered in reply. He wrapped his arms around Blaise as the grip on his shoulders loosened, and he hugged his friend tightly, sobbing silently into Blaise's own shoulder.

Blaise, meanwhile, sighed and pulled his arms around Draco's neck, absently playing with the platinum locks of hair and placing small, butterfly kisses on the side of his friend's neck. "It's okay," he murmured comfortingly, "it's okay, Draco..."

"What do we have here?" a surprised voice asked.

Both boys tensed at the sound of the voice. Draco hurried to discreetly turn his head away and wipe away the tear stains on his cheeks. Blaise, on the other hand, cautiously turned to stare at none other than Horace Slughorn. The two teenagers pulled apart and prepared to face the music. It was all ready after curfew, but just barely.

"Out of bed after curfew? Tsk, tsk, tsk," Horace sighed and walked over, "I expected better of you, Mr. Zabini. However, I do not lay complete blame on you. I'm sure Mr. Malfoy here has helped to pursuade you into breaking rules..."

Blaise shifted uncomfortably, his gaze flickering to see how Draco was holding up. He found the usual prideful sneer on the blond's face that worked as a mask to hide what he was really feeling.

"As much as I hate to do this," Horace sighed, "ten points from Slytherin, and young Mr. Malfoy, detention, tomorrow night at eight o'clock sharp."

Draco's eyes flashed. "What?" he asked as politely as he could. He was furious, however, because he had done nothing wrong.

"You heard me, young man," Horace said sternly.

Blaise hurried to step in between the two. "Professor," he explained, "the only reason we are out past curfew is because our house mates did not share the password with us. We attempted to get someone to come down and open the portrait, but we were ignored..."

"Why did you not just come and find me as soon as you realized no one would let you in?" Horace asked exasperatedly with a shake of his head.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Blaise apologized, "we thought that perhaps you were patrolling the hallways. We set out to look for you, and we had just stopped for a moment when you came upon us." He just wanted to hurry and get away from Horace Slughorn with Draco.

Horace stared calculatingly at Blaise before switching over to look at Draco, who kept his head held high and prideful. "... All right, Blaise," he finally conceded, "I'll take your word for it... It's not like you would lie to me, haha!" He chuckled and walked over to clap Blaise on the back.

Blaise faked a small grin for the sake of possibly getting the professor away quicker. "No, sir, never," he replied in a light tone, "so, will you give us the password? Then we can be on our way and get some sleep..!"

Horace merely laughed. "Ah yes, of course," he said brightly, "the password! It's powdered roots."

"Powdered roots," Blaise repeated under his breath to make sure that he remembered it. "Okay, thank you, Professor," he said with a smile to his teacher.

"No problem," Horace replied with a wide smile as he bounced on the balls of his heels, "no problem at all! Now, off to bed with the two of you." He watched as Blaise grabbed Draco by the arm and pulled the silent blond down the hall. "Oh," the professor added, calling down the hall, "and Mr. Malfoy, no detention tomorrow night, but I must still take those points off for being out of bed after hours!"

The duo replied to show that they had heard and understood their Head of House. Once the two were far enough away, the two slid into an empty classroom, where they sat in silence for a moment, Draco settling on a desk while Blaise sat propped against the wall a few feet away.

Draco looked uneasily at Blaise and asked, breaking the silence, "Do you... do you really think that the other Slytherins would try to hurt us..?"

Blaise sighed. He knew this question had been coming. In the short silence that followed, he got to his feet and moved over to sit beside Draco on the desk. The blond found himself pulled into Blaise's comforting embrace. "I wouldn't put it past some of them," he murmured, rubbing small circles on Draco's back when he felt the blond's body tense up, "it'll be okay though. I'll protect you, so don't worry..."

Draco shuddered, burrowing further into Blaise's arms as he suddenly grew chilled with the realization that his house mates would turn on him and Blaise so soon. Maybe there was something to that Gryffindor loyalty after all... Most Slytherins were only loyal when they would receive something in return. "But then who will protect you?" he asked meekly. He did not know what he would do without Blaise; he had been friends with Blaise for so long that he had come to depend heavily on the Zabini.

Blaise hesitated, as if unsure on how to answer that. "Well.. we'll find out when that time comes," he muttered distractedly and cradled the blond carefully to him, "but for now, let's go get some sleep.. I'm sure tomorrow will be better..."

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Kyla: So, what did you think? Sorry, I'm like half asleep at the moment, so I'm going to hurry up and post this.. -snores- lol, just kidding! XP Anyways, don't forget to review, and I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. XD 


	17. Chapter 17

Kyla: Kay, well I really need to be reading a play for my english class, but writing this story is SO much more fun! XP Haha, anyways, so, not a whole lot going on in this chapter either.. I think some ideas are coming to me though, so just hold tight. XD Thanks for reading!

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter 17  
by  
Kyla

It turned out that nothing was going to get any better for Blaise and Draco. The two finally entered into the Slytherin common room about an hour and a half past curfew. The common room had never been particularly warm and cheery, but entering into it this time, it was even colder, a hateful silence filling the room as Blaise and Draco headed for their dormitory. The edgy feeling sent chills up the duo's spine, and they cautiously pushed the door to their dormitory open, being met with that same silence. A feeling of oppression pushed down on Blaise and Draco as they moved silently to their beds.

Blaise pulled Draco down onto the blond's bed and pulled the curtains around the bed. Then, he whispered a spell, effectively making the bed hangings soundproof. Now, the two could talk and not worry about waking one of the others. It was then that Blaise directed his gaze to Draco. "All right, I really don't know how the rest of our house mates are going to act... I would say it'd be best if we get up and dressed before the rest of Slytherin... The less time spent down here, the better," he muttered, voice still kept quiet, as if his spell might wear off too soon.

"You think so?" Draco asked back in a whisper, shifting around uncomfortably on his bed.

"Yeah," Blaise replied with a small sigh, "so, I'll wake you up, all right? We don't need to take any chances... But I don't want you to worry, just get some sleep, got it?" he asked, a small grin on his face.

Draco bit his lip somewhat anxiously but nodded anyway. "Yeah, sure," he mumbled, gaze focused on his bed sheets instead of his friend.

Blaise gently grabbed the blond's chin and lifted Draco's face up so that their gazes met. "All right," Blaise said and grinned reassuringly. He leaned forward and brushed his lips over Draco's forehead then whispered, "I'll see you in a few hours.. Good night." He pulled away and lifted his spell before slipping off Draco's bed and hurried to his own bed. He suddenly pointed his wand at Draco's bed, and the curtains around the blond's bed were pulled around, hiding Draco from view. Then, Blaise tugged on his own curtains and laid down to try and get some rest.

Meanwhile, Draco took a deep breath to steady himself. He silently slipped under the sheets and snuggled as much as he could into the bed, looking for some kind of warmth. It was another few minutes before he finally fell asleep, but it seemed that the moment he drifted off into slumber Blaise decided to wake him up.

"Draco," Blaise whispered softly into the blond's ear, "Draco, come on, get up..." He gently shook Draco by the shoulders until he awoke with a start, light eyes snapping open in panic. "Sh, it's okay, just me, just Blaise," Blaise murmured to calm the boy down before he shouted out in fear and confusion.

Draco's eyes focused sharply, and he let out a silent moan before slumping back down and snuggling back into his bed. When Blaise told him to get up, the blond shook his head and mumbled about it being too early and that he wanted to go back to sleep. He fought off his friend for a few minutes before there was a loud thump from somewhere else in the dormitory. That woke Draco, and he sat up quickly, suddenly very awake. He grabbed a fistful of Blaise's night shirt and held tight, both listening to see what would happen next.

With a sigh, the two relaxed. They heard a rustling of sheets then a sudden snore. Apparently, something had fallen off of someone's nightstand. Luckily, it had woke no one else up. So, Blaise ushered Draco out of the bed. The two were quick and silent as they dug through their trunks looking for day clothes and school robes. Once they had what they needed, they slipped out to freshen up and get ready for the day.

A little while later, Draco and Blaise found themselves without anything to do. It was another hour until breakfast was to start, so the duo found an empty classroom to sit and spend the time, going over plans and what they would do if any of their house mates turned violent on them. Draco kept yawning, rubbing at his eyes to keep himself from falling asleep. He was not used to getting to bed late and waking up early the next morning.

"Breakfast has probably started by now," Blaise commented when a lull in the conversation appeared. He looked to Draco and stood, offering his friend a hand to help him up off the floor he was sat on, "want to go see?"

With a muffled yawn, Draco nodded and took the offered hand, using it to pull himself up. He dusted imaginary dust off of his robes before following Blaise out of the room and down the Grand Staircase. They found the Great Hall open, breakfast sitting there waiting. As the two Slytherins entered, they noticed a few early birds at the Ravenclaw table and two or three teachers, McGonogall being one of them.

Blaise and Draco made their way to the Slytherin table, sitting at the very end. Both seemed tense, and the teachers sensed it, they kept casting glances at the Slytherin table. Meanwhile, the two Slytherins made small talk, talking about when they would have what classes and which other House they would take those classes with, and nibbled on the food set out.

Over the next few minutes, more people began to arrive for breakfast. Along with students from the other Houses, a few Slytherins appeared. The sneered at Draco and Blaise before sauntering off to sit the farthest away from the two that they could. Before too many Slytherins showed up, Blaise whispered something to Draco, and the two got up and left the Great Hall without another word.

McGonogall had to hurry after them to give the two their time tables. "Mr. Zabini, Mr. Malfoy," she called out to the two as they headed up the Grand Staircase. They paused and turned to look back at the Headmistress with questioning looks. "Here are your time tables," she said, holding them out to the duo.

"Ah, right, thanks," Blaise thanked her distractedly and took the time tables, handing one to Draco and looking over his own.

"Yes, thank you," Draco echoed what his friend had said, glancing down at his own time table, noting that his first class was Care of Magical Creatures with the Hufflepuffs. He could not stop the sneer that passed over his features, but he hated having class with the Hufflepuffs, he'd much rather have classes with the Gryffindors if truth be told. Things were always more interesting that way anyway.

"You're welcome," McGonogall replied briskly. She smiled at them for a moment before turning on her heel and heading back towards the Great Hall, "have a good first day back."

"She must be joking, right?" Draco grumbled, a small scowl on his face, as he watched her disappear back into the Great Hall to finish her breakfast. She had not had to worry about someone attacking her in the middle of the night.

Blaise let out a dry chuckle, "Yeah, she must be," he replied cheekily. "Come on," he then said, "let's go wander around a bit and waste some time before class starts."

"All right," Draco sighed, "lead the way." He gestured for Blaise to go ahead of him, but instead of going ahead, Blaise rolled his eyes and pushed Draco ahead of him for a few feet.

The look on the blond's face made Blaise laugh. Then, he stopped pushing Draco forward and took his hand, tugging him gently along. "Where to first? We've the whole of Hogwarts to explore," he said cheerily, a goofy grin on his face.

As it turned out, "the whole of Hogwarts" became rather boring rather quick, but at least the two had passed enough time to where they could head out for Care of Magical Creatures and make it just in time. So, the two trudged to their first class, being completely ignored the entire class, except for when their fellow Slytherins sent quick glares at them frequently. Blaise and Draco only scowled back at them in return.

Throughout the day, Blaise and Draco had three classes with the Gryffindors: History of Magic, Charms, and Potions; and another class, Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws. It was only the first day, but the teachers did not seem to care as they assigned homework to the students. By the end of the day, many of the seventh years had many papers to write for Transfiguration, Potions, and History of Magic. Some hurried to the library to start their homework as soon as possible while others decided to put off working until later.

Instead of going to the common room to start their homework, they hid away in the classroom they had sat in just that morning. They worked in overall silence, saying something to one another now and then about things they could put in their papers. Neither of them noticed that someone had heard them from up the hall until there was a knock on the door. The Slytherin's eyes moved quickly to the door to see Hermione pushing silently through.

"Hello," Hermione greeted pleasantly and walked over to the far side of the room where Blaise and Draco sat. "What are you doing your homework in here for?" she asked curiously as she eyed their open texts and scattered parchment.

"None of your business, is it, Granger?" Draco snapped, eyes narrowed. He was tired and irritable, and it was Hermione Granger. He did not feel like being friendly to much of anyone right now.

Hermione bristled at the cold tone he used, giving the blond a small glare. "I was only curious," she replied annoyed, "you don't have to snap at me."

Hermione and Draco scowled at one another until Blaise sighed and elbowed the blond in the side before giving him a stern look. Draco growled and muttered, "Sorry, Granger..."

The bushy-haired girl let out a small sigh, her scowl lightening to a tired expression. "It's okay. But, really, why aren't the two of you in the Slytherin common room, or if not there, the library?" She pulled a chair up close to the two and sat herself down to listen.

Draco glared at the Gryffindor again, silently saying that it was none of her business and that she should keep her Gryffindork nose out of their business, but Blaise began speaking. "Well, we are not on good terms with the rest of the Slytherins... Since so much happened over the summer and word has apparently spread so quickly among the Death Eaters, our house mates don't want to interact with us. We are traitors after all," Blaise scoffed with a roll of his eyes, "So, I thought it would be a good idea for us to spend as little time in our common room as possible. It would be bad if some of our fellow Slytherins tried to get rid of us for the Dark Lord."

"Oh," Hermione said in understanding and nodded. With a quick glance out the classroom windows, she stood up and turned to leave. "Well, maybe we can all get together and do homework sometime," she suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," Blaise replied politely, Draco pointedly ignoring Hermione and doing his Transfiguration.

"All right, see you around," Hermione beamed from the doorway at the two.

"See you, Hermione," Blaise said in reply and gave the girl a small wave. "Lighten up some, Draco," he sighed once Hermione left the room and shut the door behind her.

"How can I lighten up?" Draco snapped, directing a glare at his friend. "We have no one to turn to in all of Hogwarts! None of the other houses want anything to do with us, and now our own house mates shun us! If I lighten up, I'll probably find myself hexed walking down the hallway!" He threw his quill down dramatically at that point, breathing labored a bit from his rant.

"Hey, we have Potter and his friends. Didn't you notice? Not once did Potter try to start anything with us, and he even got a couple of those Gryffindors to back off this morning," Blaise said in Harry's defense.

"Oh, great," Draco groaned, sarcasm heavy in his tone, "we've got Saint Potter on our side! Hoorah for us!" With a heavy sigh, he folded his arms on the desk and dropped his head on top of them heavily.

Blaise frowned at this. "Well, at least we don't have the Gryffindors to worry about, and if the Gryffindors stop getting into fights with us, then confrontations between us and the other two Houses will surely decrease. So, this is kind of a good thing," he explained.

"Anything to do with Potter is never a good thing," Draco stated matter-of-fact, leaning back in his chair to fold his arms neatly over his chest in an aristocratic position.

"Aw, now, Draco, is that anyway to talk about your boyfriend?" Blaise teased, a smirk overtaking his features. He playfully pushed the blond and chuckled at the gaping face Draco made.

"Blaise!" Draco exclaimed, blushing lightly, "Shut up! You idiot! I do NOT want the whole world knowing that! If he ever finds out, I'll never live it down," he groaned, letting his voice trail off into silence as he let his head fall onto the desk with a small thud.

Blaise laughed and patted Draco comfortingly on the back. "It's okay, Draco. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't hold it over you or anything... He's too much of a Gryffindor to do that, and who knows? Maybe he likes you back!" At the disbelieving snort from Draco, Blaise shrugged with a wide grin on his face, "Hey, you never know..."

Draco just sighed and began getting his books together. "I've done all the homework I think I am capable of doing tonight," he said to his friend to change the subject. He sat back in his chair and looked out the windows for a while, trying to ignore Blaise when the Zabini started teasing him about Harry Potter every few minutes. Around an hour after curfew, the duo crept into the common room and went to bed. Their first day back was finally over... Only a few more months worth of days like that one.

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Kyla: So? What did you think? I'm going to try to make Harry and Draco meet and talk sometime. I'm still figuring out how I want that to go.. heh. XP Anyways, don't forget to review, and I will see you guys next chapter! 


	18. Chapter 18

Kyla: Hey, guys! I only have four more days of school, and then I'm FREE!!! I might make this an extra long chapter if I can in order to celebrate! xD Anyways, so I don't want to rush anything, but I'm going to try and get as much of this chapter done as I can so I can update ASAP.

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Eighteen  
by  
Kyla

Another week passed somewhat slowly for Blaise and Draco. The two continued avoiding the Slytherin common room as much as possible. Their homework was done in that same empty classroom, and sometimes Hermione would join the two for a few minutes. Today was a sunny Wednesday afternoon, and Hermione decided that Ron and Harry would come with her to do some homework with the two Slytherins.

Harry and Ron knew that they could not get away from going this time. The two had all ready used all the excuses they could come up with, and they knew Hermione would not put up with it again. Thus, the duo found themselves dragging their feet after Hermione. "Do we have to?" Ron whined for the hundredth time, "It's Malfoy!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's _Draco,_ and Blaise as well," she replied not even bothering to look at the redheaded boy.

"Blaise I can stand, but Malfoy?!" Ron all but howled. He was trying his best to not have to go. "Malfoy doesn't like us, and we don't like him, why should we go?"

Hermione stopped all of a sudden causing the up until then silent Harry to nearly run straight into the bushy-haired girl. Ron stopped in his tracks and watched Hermione wearily as she spun on her heel to glare at him. "I can't believe you, Ronald! Have you even tried to understand what he is going through?! Honestly," she huffed before dramatically turning back around and waltzing off.

"I don't care what he's gone through! He has still been a big git to us ever since first year! Right, Harry?" Ron asked, looking to Harry for back up.

"Well, yeah, I guess," Harry replied, not too sure. He did not want to be in the middle of their fight.

Hermione paused to scowl over her shoulder at the two boys. "I can't believe you two... You've really disappointed me... Sorry I invited you to come. Go on," she shooed them off with a wave of her hand, "go and do whatever you want to do since you're too bull-headed to put a school-boy rivalry behind you." Without waiting for a reply, she turned back around, knocked on a door, and disappeared inside, leaving Harry and Ron standing there alone.

The two Gryffindor boys could hear voices inside the room talking. It was small talk, nothing serious as Hermione pulled out some books and started working. Harry and Ron looked at each other uneasily, a heavy silence left where Hermione had stomped off. "You know, Ron, Hermione might be right," Harry mumbled, scratching the back of his head absently. At the weird look Ron sent him, the Boy-Who-Lived sighed and said, "Don't give me that look... You know that Hermione's usually right; why would she be wrong about something like this?"

"Usually right, Harry, _usually right_," Ron shook his head as he spoke, "she doesn't always know what's going on! And besides, it's still Malfoy! You can't tell me that you're honestly thinking of going in there and trying to get _along_ with Malfoy!"

Harry sighed, "Well, he hasn't been all that bad this year. He's changing, I believe that, but I don't think I'll ever get to know him more than just an acquaintance. It's too hard to just let go of everything he's done in the past..."

Little did the two know that Draco, Blaise, and Hermione were standing at the partially-closed door, just out of sight, and listening to every word that was exchanged between the two boys. Draco's shoulders slumped at hearing the conversation, and before he could hear anymore, he stumbled back to the table and sunk into his chair looking quite dejected.

Blaise glared at the door that was hiding the two Gryffindors from view then hurried over to Draco, setting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay, Draco," he muttered, "maybe Potter just doesn't want to say anything good about you to the Weasley."

Hermione was confused at the way Draco was acting. She had noticed that Draco would act a bit differently when ever Harry become a topic of discussion, and now he was moping after listening to Harry say something about him that was not positive. "All right," she said quietly and walked over to the desk, "I want to know what's going on."

"What are you talking about, Granger?" Draco snapped, "There is nothing going on..!"

Blaise sighed and looked at the door. He could hear the sounds of voices rising in an argument, and a small smile slipped onto his face when he vaguely heard Harry defend Draco, in his own way. "Draco likes Potter," Blaise deadpanned with a grin.

Hermione's mouth dropped open, and she blinked a few times in surprise, looking very much like an owl. "I-I'm sorry, what? I think I heard you wrong... Did you say that Draco likes Harry? You mean in the love kind of way?" she asked, making sure she was not going crazy.

Draco was in a state of shock. Then, fury started to edge in when Blaise affirmed to Hermione that Draco did indeed have a crush on Harry Potter. "Blaise! I can't believe you told her!" Draco exclaimed, clearly getting distressed. When Blaise tried to explain, Draco shook his head and grabbed his wand, pointing it at a surprised Blaise. "Why did you tell her?! She'll just go and tell Potter, and then Potter will humiliate me! Haven't I been through enough?!" His stormy eyes were wild now, and when Hermione tried to reason with him, he turned the wand to her, not wanting to believe her. He could not trust her. And Blaise... He had thought Blaise was his best friend, but how could a best friend just go and blurt something like that out? Especially with the person in question—Harry Potter—out in the corridor.

"Draco, calm down," Blaise said as calmly as he could muster. He eyed the wand carefully, not wanting to be hexed.

"How can I be calm?!" Draco shouted, not even noticing when Harry leaned uncertainly into the room, not sure if he was welcome or not. "I am exhausted from staying up late and getting up early in the morning! I have to worry about being hexed on my way to class every single day! And I have a supposed best friend that just blurted out who my crush is to a muggle-born!"

"Um, hello?" Harry asked from the doorway. He shifted uncomfortably in his place, looking at the three people in the class room. "C-can I come in?"

Draco flushed with shame. He did not want to be here when Hermione spilled the beans to Harry. He did not want to see the disgusted look on Harry's face, or worse yet, hear the laughter when Harry found out that his arch rival had fallen in love with him. He would be utterly humiliated, and he wanted to put that off for as long as he possibly could. So, the blond raced past Harry, pushing the Gryffindor roughly to the side on his way out.

"Hey!" Harry yelped in indignation. "What's your problem, Malfoy?!"

Blaise took off like a bullet after his friend. "Draco, wait up!" he called down the corridor, but Draco was all ready out of sight. Blaise stumbled and sagged onto the floor with a heavy sigh. He attempted to wipe away the exhaustion he felt by running a hand over his face. It was hard keeping up with Draco when the blond was on such an emotional rollercoaster.

"Blaise?" Hermione asked cautiously as she offered out a hand to help the Slytherin up. He could tell by the tone of her voice that Hermione wanted to know what she could do to help.

"Would you mind helping me find him?" Blaise asked. He took the offered help and pulled himself up to his feet again, dusting some dust off his robes. He scanned the corridor around him once before looking back at Harry, who stood off to the side listening, and Hermione. "He doesn't need to be on his own when he's upset..."

"Sure," Hermione volunteered without a second thought. "Where do you think he might go?" she asked, her mind all ready working on where to start looking.

Blaise sighed again and replied, "Hard to say... With Draco, you never really know... I have found him out by the lake before, as well as down in the dungeons, up in the Astronomy Tower, in the unused second floor girls' bathroom, um..." His voice trailed off as his mind worked furiously trying to think of where Draco had ran off to before.

"Okay," Hermione nodded, "Blaise, go check the dungeons," she said to the Slytherin before turning to Harry to say, "Harry, you go see if Draco's in the Astronomy Tower, and I'll check the second floor lavatory. We'll meet back here in an hour... Does that sound good?"

"Yeah," Harry and Blaise chorused at the same time. The three all nodded and went their separate ways, each wishing one another good luck. While Harry and Blaise ran out of Hermione's sight, she hurried to the second floor.

As she neared the lavatory on the second floor, Hermione heard the tale-tell signs of someone being inside. She strode in cautiously, looking around for a head of blond hair. Following the sound of someone crying, she found herself standing right in front of a closed off stall. Hesitantly, she knocked a few times and waited for a reply.

There was a rustling, and someone sniffled loudly before taking a deep breath. "What?" the voice that could only be Draco's asked shakily. "Who is it?" he snapped after a silent moment.

"Um, it's me, Draco. It's Hermione," Hermione replied carefully, knowing that Draco would not want to talk to her. Maybe she should have gone to get Blaise instead of trying to talk to Draco on her own. There was no way he would listen to her.

"Granger," Draco repeated under his breath. He groaned and did not attempt to open the stall door. "Just go away, Granger, haven't I been through enough yet?" He sounded pitiful.

"Yes, of course you have, Draco," Hermione said calmly, reassuringly, "I won't tell Harry, if that's what you're afraid of... I promise." She eased the door open to see Draco sitting as far back away from the door as possible.

"Like I'm going to trust you," Draco nearly snarled at her, his tear-filled eyes glaring at her as if she were someone evil, someone to fear. He did not show fear, so he hid it behind rage and fury as much as possible.

"I'm not asking you to trust me, Draco," Hermione said matter-o-fact, "I won't tell Harry because it's really none of my business. I know what's going on, and now I know why you seem so edgy whenever Harry is mentioned. Nothing else will change except now I know about your little crush like Blaise."

"Blaise had no right to tell you," Draco argued in a mumble. He avoided her gaze if at all possible and was looking somewhere to the bottom right of the stall now.

Hermione's eyes softened, and she slowly stepped into the stall and knelt down in front of the blond. "I know he didn't," she said softly, "but at least now you have two people you can talk to about all this. Believe it or not, I actually know something about Harry," she giggled, "I can tell you the things he likes, the things he hates, and things like that."

Draco scowled at her. "I know all of those all ready... He loves to play Quidditch, he hates me, hates Potions, and he wants to become an Auror," he said sourly.

"He doesn't hate you, Draco," Hermione replied calmly, "and he really does not desire to be an Auror any more... To be honest, Harry doesn't think he will live past the final duel between him and Voldemort."

Draco's eyes narrowed. He looked closely at Hermione, trying to see if he could find any lies in her words, but she was not lying. He sighed, "But he's so much stronger than the Dark Lord... Plus he has so many people that would gladly die for him. I don't see why he's so worried."

"Harry doesn't worry about himself," Hermione muttered, her gaze averted to the floor. "What he's most afraid of is Voldemort killing anyone close to him. He doesn't want to loose anyone. He blames himself for the people who have died in this war, and he keeps blaming himself."

"But he has no reason to," Draco argued angrily, "and you and Weasley just jump behind him and let him do whatever he wants, even if it means letting him put himself in danger! Some best friends," he hmphed and fell silent, glaring at the wall with his arms crossed stubbornly over his chest.

Hermione sighed. "We try to keep Harry out of trouble, but he doesn't listen to us," she explained.

Draco suddenly turned his death glare to the bushy-haired girl. "That's when you _make_ him listen!" he yelled, "You don't just let him go off and fight basilisks and dementors and-and other dangerous creatures! You don't let him run off and fight the Dark Lord when the fancy strikes him! If you can't stop him using words, then use magic, for Merlin's sake!" He threw his hands up in the air while he ranted. He was having quite the tantrum.

Then, there were footsteps that echoed from the corridor. Draco stopped mid rant, and he and Hermione watched as Harry Potter and Blaise Zabini burst into the lavatory before skidding to a halt. "Hermione, we didn't find him," Harry heaved, out of breath and doubled over in an attempt to catch his breath, "did you have any.. luck?" he asked and looked up.

"Draco!" Blaise exclaimed and rushed over to the blond before crushing him in a hug.

"Don't get any ideas, Blaise," Draco scowled, patting the Zabini lightly on the back, "I'm still furious with you..."

"Why are you mad at him?" Harry asked curiously. He knew that Blaise, Draco, and Hermione had been getting along earlier, but after the argument with Ron, Harry had walked over to the door, intending to join them in doing homework, but Draco had rushed quickly out of the room, nearly bowling Harry over.

Draco hesitated, trying to put off answering. He backed up out of Blaise's arms when his friend decided to release him and glared at Harry. "None of your business, Potter," he snapped, drawing himself up to look proud with his chin held high.

Harry felt a spark of anger at the way Draco seemed to be acting like he was so much better than everyone else, but he shook that feeling away. Instead, he rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever you say, Mal-Draco." The name Draco fell nervously from his lips. He did not know if Draco would want him calling him by his first name since he was Harry Potter.

There was a tense silence that followed, and no one seemed willing to speak up. Blaise, however, finally took Draco gently by the arm and said, "So, how about that homework?" Without listening for an answer, he started walking out of the room, tugging the blond along behind him. "You two comig?" he asked Hermione and Harry as he paused in the doorway to glance at the duo over his shoulder.

"Yes," Hermione answered and steered Harry ahead of her, "let's go. That Potions essay is due tomorrow, and I think Harry said that he had not started it yet."

"Ah, so nice of you to join us, Harry," Blaise said cheerfully, a smile on his face as he continued to pull Draco along down the corridor. "So, what were you and Ron arguing about earlier?" he added curiously, looking to Harry for an answer.

Harry moved so that Hermione was not constantly shoving him down the hallway before he answered. "I-It was nothing," he replied carefully.

"No, it wasn't," Hermione said, a gleam in her eye telling him that she knew it was a conversation between Ron and himself, "tell me about it later, okay?" she whispered to him before they all let the subject drop. Harry and Hermione wold sit down and have a talk, and Hermione knew that it would involve Ron's pig-headedness again.

So, the four settled into the unused classroom. Harry pulled out his texts and parchment and spread it out over the table before sitting don next to Draco and across from Hermione and Blaise. For a few minutes, they worked silently, but Harry came to a point where he did not know what to write. He had no idea what uses a gargoyle's liver had, nor did he know how long one had to cook a gargoyle's liver before it was safe to use in Potion making. So, he asked for help, "Does anyone know anything about gargoyle's livers?"

Hermione looked up and was about to go on a long-winded explanation of what she knew, but Draco cut her off. Without even looking up from his parchment, he continued writing and said, "A gargoyle's liver can add strength to some potions, depending on what other ingrediens it's made with. For example, if you add a gargoyle liver to the Dreamless Sleep potion, that potion can become a poison that would cause someone to fall into an often permanent coma. The liquids in it are poisonous, and if the liver is not boiled in water for at least thirty minutes, then it will cause the potion to either combust or to create a type of acid that is capable of digesting everything from dirt to diamonds."

"Um, thanks, M-Draco," Harry said and hurried to jot down what the blond had told him.

Draco only nodded to show he had heard Harry, but inside, he was grinning ear-to-ear. Everyone thought that he had only done so good in Potions because Severus Snape had always let him by with bad potions, but the truth was he was not complete rubbish at Potions. He did his homework. Getting to help Harry also lightened Draco's heart some. Harry was sitting beside him, the two were not fighting or arguing, and Draco had got to help Harry, and Harry had not refused his help. And Harry had called him Draco! Twice!

So, the four finished up their homework after another hour and a half. As a result of Harry and Blaise being unable to get Hermione and Draco to take a break, they missed dinner in the Great Hall. "Let's go down to the kitchens and get some food," Harry said as they packed their texts up.

"You guys know where the kitchens are?" Blaise asked grinning. He had always wondered about where to entrance to the kitchens had been. He even searched for it before but was never able to find it.

"Yeah," Harry replied with a grin of his own, "knowing where it is helps when you can't get Hermione's nose out of the books long enough to go to the Great Hall."

"Oh, honestly," Hermione rolled her eyes, "you don't have to blame me for that. I've told you and Ron to go on to dinner without me several times. You just never listen," she said in exasperation.

"If we did, you would starve because you would never close the books for just a few minutes," Harry rebuked good-naturedly. He gave an indignant yelp when Hermione palyfully pushed him over. The dark-haired boy stumbled some and fell into Draco on accident. "Oh, sorry, Draco," he apologized and laughed.

"No problem," Draco muttered in reply. A small smile worked its way onto his face, causing him to turn his head away from Harry to hide it. Blaise, however, saw it and grinned at his friend. Draco's crush on Harry was only getting bigger. He has happy to see that Harry had opened up some to both him and Blaise that evening while they did homework. Maybe he and Harry could at least be friends.

"Here we are," Harry said as the four came to a stop in front of a portrait of a bunch of fruit. "To get inside," he said as he took a step closer to tickle the pear, "is tickle the pear a little, and there we go!" The portrait allowed them to enter inside, and immediately, they were swarmed by house elves, asking them what they would like to eat.

"Wow," Blaise muttered as they sat down at a table, waiting on the house elves to get their food, "I wish I would have been friends with you guys since first year! You guys get to break all sorts of rules and never get in trouble for it," he said with a cheeky grin, "kidding! I know that you do get in trouble at times."

"Yeah, didn't you get detentions a lot from Umbridge when she was here, Potter?" Draco asked, trying to slip into the conversation. He really wanted Harry to talk to him again.

Harry scowled darkly at the tabletop and grumbled, "Yeah, I did... Seems like every time I opened my mouth, I got a detention, and even sometimes I didn't even say a thing and still got detentions..!"

"What did she make you do in all those detentions anyway?" Blaise asked curiously and thanked a house elf that brought them over a plate of food and some pumpkin juice.

"Write lines," Harry answered darkly and tore into a piece of bread.

"That doesn't sound that bad," Draco said with a frown. Harry seemed pretty annoyed at the punishment, but what did he expect to do at detention? Sit around and chat about school and classes?

"Oh, and did I forget to mention the quill that Umbridge made me use that used my own blood when I wrote 'I must not tell lies' for hours every night I had detention. Thanks to that toad, I have these lovely scars on the back of my hand to match the scar on my forehead!" Angrily, Harry pushed his hand right in front of Draco's face and said, "You can still see them. I'll probably have them for the rest of my life! Doesn't sound that bad? Ha..!" He pulled his hand away again as fast as he could, slightly ashamed of losing his cool so easily.

"That's awful... When you said you got lines, I didn't think it would be that bad... Good thing Umbridge is out of here," Blaise said, trying to lighten the mood.

Draco held his hand out cautiously and asked, "C-can I see? I just want a look, I won't do anything else..."

Harry eyed the blond closely before sighing in defeat and holding his hand back out. He felt Draco take it gingerly into his own hand and examine it. He felt so self-conscious. It seemed like he had too many scars, and he hated when people looked at them, those on the back of his hand or, worse, the one on his forehead. It took all of his self control to not pull his hand from Draco's grasp.

Draco brought the hand closer to his face and squinted. He could barely make it out, but there it was, "I must not tell lies." Gently he used the fingers on his other hand to lightly draw over the lines. "I bet it hurt," he stated quietly and drew back, signaling to Harry that he was through and that the Gryffindor could have his hand back.

"I guess so," Harry answered with a shrug, "pain's nothing new to me, so no big deal. I've felt worse, ha ha." He tried to lighten things up and laughed, looking around at the other three to see if they were going to join him.

"How is pain funny?" Draco asked with his brow furrowed. "How can you just sit there and laugh at pain? I could never do that..." He bit his lip and fell silent, tucking into his plate of food.

"Well, it's easier to laugh than cry... I'm not going to let the pain get to me, I just have to keep on going, no matter how much pain I'm in. It's just not like me to let the pain control me, so I brush it off as best I can," Harry said and took a swig of pumpkin juice.

"True Gryffindor," Draco grumbled with a small smile, and Blaise rolled his eyes while Hermione giggled some.

"Yeah, I suppose so, Draco," Harry grinned cheekily, "I suppose so..."

"It's almost curfew, Harry," Hermione reminded the Boy-Who-Lived a few minutes later. "We need to get headed up to the common room."

"Right," Harry nodded and pushed his plate aside before standing up, "well, we will see you guys tomorrow?" he asked Blaise and Draco, who were still munching some on their food.

"Sure," Blaise answered, and Draco nodded.

"Okay, good night, guys," Harry said in farewell to the two Slytherins.

"Bye, Potter, Granger," Draco mumbled.

"Good bye, Blaise, Draco," Hermione was the last to say antything. Then, she and Harry left the kitchen, leaving Draco and Blaise there talking quietly to one another. "All right, so what's wrong between you and Ron?" Hermione asked when the two were on the next floor up.

"Well, after you went on into the room, Ron and I were arguing about whether to come into the classroom with you. I tried to get Ron to come. I said that you are usually right about things like this, but he's too stubborn and wouldn't listen to me. He said something about Draco acting differently so he could get some attention. He said that Draco only seemed to be changing because he did not have his Slytherin snakes behind him to make him feel powerful.. He said instead of getting people to follow him and giving him power that Draco decided to make people feel sorry for him so he could still get his way. I haven't gotten along with Draco a lot since he came to Grimmauld Place with me, but that was low... He thinks that everyone is just after attention... So, we argued about that, and he stomped off."

"Oh," Hermione sighed and shook her head, "one of these days, Ron is going to open his mouth and say something he shouldn't to someone else, and they are liable to hex him... With us, he knows we won't pull a wand on him, but not everyone will put up with his pride."

Harry nodded in agreement. "But I'm glad I decided to join you guys. It was fun. Next time you go to do homework with them, let me know. Draco's not as bad as I thought he would be. I hate to say it, but it's my own fault... Even when he was trying to get over our rivalry and at least stay out of my way, it seemed like I tried to make him fight with me... I'd rather do homework with him, you, and Blaise than me and Draco going back to being arch-rivals," he said with a smile.

"Yes, it's nice not seeing the two of you arguing so much. You two look so cute together," Hermione said, knowing she had hit the nail right on the head.

Harry flushed and his eyes got wide. "What?" he spluttered then took a deep breath to compose himself, "What makes you think that? I mean, do you even know if either of us are gay?" he asked, his mind automatically going back to the time he had walked right in on Blaise and Draco making out.

"Well, Draco likes guys, I'm fairly sure, and I was just taking a guess with you," Hermione said with a grin, "after all, you can't seem to keep a girlfriend for some reason, so... I just kind of figured... Was I wrong?" That grin stayed on her face, she knew she was not wrong.

Harry sighed and shook his head, "No, you're right... How do you do that? You always seem to realize things about myself that even I don't know way before I understand." He grinned at her, "Oh well, on any note, I don't think Draco would be interested in me, and besides, he has Blaise. They seem pretty close."

"What about you? Are you interested in him?" Hermione asked slyly, a mischievious look in her eyes.

Harry blushed again and stammered, "H-Hermione, I... I don't know! Sure Draco's hot, but I really don't know the guy at all! I thought I knew all I had to know about a year ago, but obviously the guy's changed..." He was babbling, that was not a good sign.

Hermione giggled and set a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Okay, Harry," she said smiling, "I get it. It's okay, don't hyperventilate. Come on, time for bed," she added as they reached the Fat Lady. She gave the portrait the password, and the duo hurried inside and got ready for bed, parting with a good night to one another.

Meanwhile, Blaise and Draco sat in the kitchen for another few minutes. "Did you see him, Blaise?" Draco asked happily, "He was talking to me! Actual conversations!" He sighed happily and slumped forward to rest his head on the table, a dreamy expression on his face. He had not expected Harry to actually say anything to him if he came to do homework with them.

"Yeah, that's great, Draco," Blaise exclaimed. His grin stretched wide over his face, and he patted Draco on the back. He was just so happy to see Draco not acting down and moody all the time. The two talked for another few minutes until Draco and Blaise were starting to act somewhat goofy, a sign that the two were very tired. "Come on, Draco, let's get to bed so you can have sweet dreams about the great Harry Potter," Blaise laughed and headed for the dungeons, a grinning Draco walking beside him. The two slipped silently into the common room and up to the dormitories, where they crawled into their own beds and fell asleep.

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Kyla: Wow! I broke 5,000 words! Okay, this long enough for a celebration update? I feel soo proud, haha. xD I'm excited about maybe getting a review or two, so don't forget to leave a review, please! I dunno when the next chapter will be out though, because the next few days are going to be busy and I have to work all weekend, but I'll try to update this again as soon as I can... For now, though, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 18! See you next chapter! CLASS OF 2007 RULES! 


	19. Chapter 19

Kyla: Okay, well, this ALMOST broke 5,000 words... lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it... Also, don't forget to review! So, go on, read this then send me an e-mail or comment message or whatever... lol. Have fun!

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Nineteen  
by  
Kyla

The next morning, Draco did not fight Blaise as much to get up, especially when the blond was coaxed out of bed by saying they would get to see Harry. That hurried Draco to get ready quicker. "Well, you sure are moving fast this morning," Blaise chortled as he and Draco slipped out of the common room and headed up to their usual hangout place: the same old unused classroom. The two were surprised to walk in and find Harry all ready there. It seemed he had been there for a while, sitting by the window and staring out aimlessly, clutching a cloak of some kind tightly in his hands.

"Hello, Potter," Draco said suddenly and walked over, trying to act at least somewhat tough. He frowned when Harry did not seem to hear him, and the blond leaned forward some. "Potter," he said louder, trying to ignore the fact that the two were so close.

"Huh?" Harry asked and jumped in surprise. He snapped his gaze to the blond's face that lingered a breath's away from his. "Oh," he stammered and flushed, embarrassed, "sorry, I just sort of zoned out..."

It took all of Draco's control to not lean forward and kiss Harry. Instead, he pulled back and tugged a chair over to sit across from the Gryffindor. "It's okay, I didn't mean to startle you," he grinned as he spoke, and Blaise laughed and joined the two boys.

Harry gave the two Slytherins a small, tight smile, "Yeah..."

A tense silence filled the room for a moment. Draco squirmed uncomfortably and blurted out the question he desperately wanted to ask. "What are you doing here so early?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, me and Draco have been doing it, but why are you up and out of the Lion's Den so early? Don't tell me that people think you're the next Dark Lord or something and don't want you in the common room," Blaise said and paused before grinning and adding, "I'm just kidding, I swear, but why are you up so early?" he inquired.

Harry ran a hand through his hair and repositioned his glasses on his nose. "Couldn't sleep," he mumbled. Absently, he massaged the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. The Slytherins could tell that something was up.

Draco looked closely at the famous scar before frowning deeply. He leaned forward and reached a hand out, causing Harry to watch him wearily. The Gryffindor flinched when the blond touched the scar, but Harry did not draw away. He liked how nice and cool Draco's hand felt. "Why does your scar look so inflamed? And you feel warm, do you have a fever?" the blond asked, his voice holding a touch of worry and concern to it.

Harry seemed to realize what was going on. His eyes immediately snapped open; when they had fluttered closed he did not know, but now he drew away and looked anxiously at Draco and Blaise. "I.. I don't know," the Boy-Who-Lived said as nonchalantly as possible, busying himself with folding and unfolding his Invisibility Cloak.

Blaise and Draco shared a look. Then, Blaise said, "Potter, stop," and when Harry slowly stopped messing with his cloak, the Zabini continued, "Now, tell us what's the matter."

"It's really nothing," Harry said with a shrug, but the Slytherins knew that Harry was lying.

"Potter," Draco said, wanting to know what was wrong with Harry. He was going to start lecturing the dark-haired boy, but Harry cut him off.

"Harry," Harry said, eyes cast nervously to the side.

"What?" Blaise and Draco asked at the same time.

"Harry," Harry repeated, "Call me Harry. I'm tired of being called Potter..."

Blaise recovered quicker than Draco and said, "Okay then, _Harry_, what's wrong? Come on, you can tell us... We won't tell anyone!"

"Who do we have to tell?" Draco grumbled and scowled at his friend Blaise. "So, tell us, Harry," the blond said softly, loving the way the name Harry sounded coming from his mouth.

"Just forget it," Harry snapped and pushed himself to his feet. He strolled away from the two to lean against the far wall. "It's nothing new, so just drop it," he added absently.

"P-Harry," Draco nearly growled as he stalked over to the Gryffindor, "if you don't tell me what is wrong this second, I swear I-I'll," his voice trailed off, the threat hanging on the edge of his lips though he did not know what he would say to finish that threat. He bundled the front of Harry's robes into his hands and gripped the fabric tightly, glaring into the Gryffindor's emerald eyes.

"Let go, Draco," Harry said steadily, sternly. He struggled in the blond's hold, his anger about to hit its boiling point. "Let. Go."

Draco's eyes softened slightly. He did not release Harry, but he looked the Gryffindor right in the eye and tried to calm Harry down. "I just want to know what's wrong... Maybe we can help." He gingerly rubbed a thumb across Harry's cheek and waited for a reply.

Harry could not escape the look Draco was giving him, and the dark-haired boy finally heaved a sigh and muttered, "Fine..." He gently pushed Draco away and moved back over to sit down. Blaise and Draco joined him not a moment later, silent and ready to listen. "This scar on my forehead is more than a scar... When Voldemort gave it to me," Harry ignored when the two Slytherins flinched upon hearing the Dark Lord's name, "he transferred some of his powers to me, like being a Parselmouth, but he also linked us together... Sometimes I get these... visions in my sleep. I can see what he's doing... I-It's weird..."

"And you had one of these visions last night?" Draco guessed quietly. He would hate to be able to see what the Dark Lord got up to. Had Harry seen them murder dozens of people, muggles and wizards alike? Had Harry seen Malfoy Sr. at any of the meetings? What would it feel like to be connected to Voldemort?

Harry nodded solemnly, face drawn tight in exhaustion. At that moment, he looked at least ten years older. This war was taking its toll on him. "I went to tell McGonogall about it, but she's apparently away at the Ministry... I figured I would come here to think. I knew I could not get back to sleep... I never can after having one of those stupid visions..." He sighed tiredly and collapsed forward, letting his head fall to rest on the desk.

"What was it about?" Draco asked after a moment's silence. When Harry glanced up at him suspiciously, he added, "Everyone needs someone to talk to about something. Since Blaise and I are the only ones up this early, I figured you could get it off your chest and try to have a better day when everyone else wakes up, I guess..." He suddenly felt uncomfortable with Harry again, especially when the Gryffindor looked at him like that.

Harry smiled at the blond and replied, "Thanks, that's nice of you... I must say, I like the three of us getting along good like this.." He chuckled and fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.

"So?" Blaise asked when a silence passed between them, "Tell us all ready..!"

Harry was suddenly anxious. He squirmed in his seat and avoided eye contact with the other two. "I don't know if you guys want to know," he muttered, voice low and subdued. He had seen too much over the years, and he got so tired of seeing death in his nightmares.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Why not?" he near-whined. He wanted to be there for Harry, but he wouldn't be too much help if Harry did not actually let the blond help him.

"Because it involved your parents and Snape," Harry uttered tightly, face set like stone.

Draco suddenly tensed. The way Harry was acting insinuated that whatever I had happened must have been bad. "W-what do you mean..?" he asked. When Harry refused to say anything else and kept looking everywhere else but at the two Slytherins, the blond asked again, "What does that mean, Harry?" Still, silence followed his question. "Harry Potter, tell me right now! What happened!?" He was suddenly very anxious.

Harry sensed the distress this was causing Draco. He sighed and reluctantly began talking. "The vision I had," he started off, "was about... well, the Dark Lord was furious that your dad could not get any of the information he needed, but Voldemort was also mad because he found out that Snape had helped Hermione get away," he said, thinking back to when Hermione had told him the entire story of her escape. He was surprised, to say the least; he had not known Snape would help Hermione. "He... They tortured him... Then, Voldemort cast Imperio on him and made him.. made him..."

"Yeah? Made him what, Harry?" Blaise asked cautiously. He knew that Harry did not much care for Severus Snape, but Harry sounded so hesitant and seemed to feel so bad about what the Potions Master had been put through.

"Well, Draco," Harry said. The blond perked at the sound of his name and nodded to Harry as a sign for him to continue, which he did, "he.. he was forced to... to kill your mum, then.. I woke up," he finished lamely.

"Draco?" Blaise asked quietly and reached out to touch the blond, but Draco shook his head. The blond trembled and slumped his arms onto the desk in front of him. He hid his face away in the crook of his arm, silently sobbing. Blaise wanted to comfort his friend, but maybe Harry would, and that might help Draco feel better. So, the Zabini hurried over to Harry and whispered fiercely, "Go comfort him, Idiot!" He gave the Golden Boy a light shove and took a step back reluctantly. He pleaded with his eyes, causing Harry to finally cave in.

Harry edged closer to Draco and wound an arm around the blond's shoulder. "I-I'm sorry, Draco," he repeated quietly, not knowing what else to say. "Everything will be okay," he added though he did not sound too sure.

Draco only cried harder, a small whimper issuing from him. He turned and hugged Harry, burying his face in the front of Harry's robe. He hiccuped and sniffled and cried, clinging tightly to the Gryffindor, who awkwardly wrapped his arms around him. "I don't want to die... I don't want to go with my father, what will I do?" he cried out softly, clearly afraid. "Is it ever going to end?"

Harry looked at Blaise helplessly, not knowing how to comfort Draco. Why was he comforting him anyway? Isn't that a job that Blaise should be doing? "Help me," he mouthed to Blaise, who was looking upset as it was. How hard would it be to set back and watch his friend fall to pieces.

Blaise saw Harry's distress and unease, and he sighed. In order to help, he walked over to where the two stood and leaned over to whisper in Draco's ear as he laid a hand on Draco's back, "Don't worry, Draco... We won't let your dad get you. He doesn't deserve you..." He looked around and nodded to one of their chairs, motioning for Harry to get Draco sat down.

Harry nodded his head in understanding and coaxed the blond over to a chair. "Here, sit down, Draco," he murmured and eased the blond down. Draco clutched to Harry still, bringing the Gryffindor to sit on his knees and continue to hold the boy.

For the next few minutes, Blaise and Harry worked on calming Draco down. By the time Ron and Hermione joined them, Draco was eerily quiet and calm, just staring off into space with a lost look on his face. "What's wrong with Draco?" Hermione asked cautiously.

Ron scowled, folding his arms over his chest, and muttered grumpily, "Probably just trying to get some more attention..."

Hermione gave Ron a pointed look after elbowing him violently in the ribs. "Be quiet," she hissed dangerously. "Draco?" she asked making her way over to where the blond sat. She noticed that Harry was kneeling beside Draco and apparently giving the blond some comfort. "What's the matter?"

Draco just shook his head and remained silent, eyes remaining focused on the far wall. He reached out for Harry's hand that sat anxiously on the blond's knee and squeezed the hand lightly. He could barely speak when he tried to talk, his voice coming out as more of a croak.

Harry noticed that Draco wanted to say something. He leaned closer to Draco. "What, Draco? What do you want to ask?" he asked kindly, not even noticing when Ron faked a gag with a disgusted look on his face.

"What am.. what am I going to do? My mum was who always tried to keep my father at bay... And what about Severus? He can't be dead, can he? They.. they wouldn't kill him, would they?" Draco asked quietly, eyes unfocused and glazed over.

Blaise answered that from his chair beside Draco. "Don't worry about it," he said softly, "I'm sure Snape's fine. He can take care of himself..." He wrapped an arm around Draco's shoulder as he spoke, offering his friend what comfort he could.

Ron and Harry did not seem to fond of Severus, and Blaise could tell, but Harry seemed to at least be putting up an effort not to act like he hated the ex-professor in front of Draco.

Hermione was pacing back and forth, muttering to herself about what they could do. A fire in her eyes told the guys that she was intent on trying to help Severus, who had helped her before. "We just need to tell someone...! But McGonogall is not here, so who else could we go to..? Remus might be able to help... He could at least get in contact with the rest of the Order..."

"What could I help with?" Remus asked, appearing suddenly in the doorway. He took in how the students looked stressed, also not missing that the scar was a vivid red on Harry's forehead. "Has something happened?" he asked in worry.

"Well," Harry began cautiously, buying time while he looked to Blaise to Hermione to Ron to Draco. When most of them nodded at him as a sign to go ahead, he sighed and continued, "I, I had a vision last night about.. Um, well, Voldemort found out that Snape helped Hermione escape, and Snape was found out for spying for the Order, so... Voldemort and his followers," he stopped and cast a look at Draco, who was looking upset all over again.

"Take it outside and tell him," Blaise demanded as he sat next to Draco and hushed the blond. When Harry tried to argue with a but, Blaise glared at the Gryffindor, who sighed and walked out of the room after motioning for Remus to follow him.

Once Harry and Remus were out of earshot, Harry took a deep breath and said, "Snape was tortured by all of the Death Eaters at once, then Voldemort tortured him some, then... then Voldemort cast the Imperius Curse and made Snape kill Draco's mum and some other Death Eater's wives... Then, then I woke up... Voldemort's angry, very angry..."

"Oh," Remus sighed, clearly knew something that the others did not, "so that's what happened to Severus..." He ran a hand distractedly through his hair and looked back down the hallway.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused.

"Severus showed up worse for the wear about an hour before sunrise," Remus explained sounding tired. "He's in the Hospital Wing now as we speak, recovering..."

Harry looked a bit pale. "How is he?" he asked carefully. "Is he hurt pretty badly?"

Remus stretched his arms up and looked as if he had been up for a few hours after getting to bed late as well. "Yes, his injuries are fairly serious, but nothing Poppy can't fix... When you, Hermione, Ron, Blaise, and Draco didn't show up for breakfast at your usual time, I came to find you... You lot weren't in your Common Rooms or dormitories, so I thought you might be in that classroom..."

Harry sighed and hurried past Remus, muttering a small thanks as he went. Then, he stepped back into the classroom and announced, "Snape's in the Hospital Wing recovering." He sounded somewhat relieved, and he allowed himself to relax some. Even though Snape had killed Dumbledore, he had still helped Hermione escape. He would not suddenly be on friendly terms with the Potions Master, but he could bite his tongue to keep from arguing with the man all the time.

Draco's gaze snapped up to meet Harry's. The cool gray eyes were surprised and relieved but still dull at the revelation of loosing his mother. "I want to see him," he stated and pushed himself to his feet, leaving no room for argument.

"I don't know about that," Remus said anxiously and stood in the doorway. He was blocking the way out as politely as he could, but he could not let Draco go to see Snape yet.

"Why not?!" Draco snapped angrily, eyes flashing. He gritted his teeth together and balled his hands up into fists, not liking when someone told him what to do. It was Snape he wanted to see, why could he not see him?

"Because," Remus sighed tired. He attempted to wipe away his fatigue by running a hand down and over his face.

"Because?" Draco prompted with disdain as he stood with his arms crossed proudly over his chest. He scowled at the werewolf, not caring that it would be another day until the wolf in Remus would begin to act up some as the full moon approached.

"He is injured, Draco," Remus tried to calm the boy, make him listen to reason, "he needs to rest... Maybe once he recovers some..."

"No!" Draco thundered, eyes glaring holes through Remus's. "I will go see him right now," he stated and waltzed over to elbow Remus out of his way. The rest of the group in the room hurried after the blond, as did Remus, and the whole way, they tried to stop Draco from going to the Hospital Wing at the moment. "I don't care that we have classes! This is _far_ more important than Herbology, Blaise! No, Hermione, we don't need to study right now! Ron, I am not hungry so shove off, and Harry, I don't care what a bad feeling your having about me going to see Snape, just leave me the hell alone!" When they continued to pester him, he scowled at Remus and stopped right in front of the Hospital Wing's closed doors. "Give me one good reason that I shoudn't go in there," he snarled.

Remus was gasping lightly from chasing the blond's angry marching strides, but he took a deep breath to get his breathing back under control. "Snape specifically mentioned that he did not want to see you immediately..."

Draco's anger fell away momentarily in surprise. "What?" he asked confused then became angry again, "why?! I've known him since I was little! He's a part of my family, maybe not by blood, but still..!" His hands clenched into fists and his eyes were smoldering.

"I do not know for sure," Remus replied just above a whisper.

"Then, I'm still going in to see him," Draco said stubbornly and pushed open the doors to reveal the Hospital Wing. All of the beds were empty save for one in the far back of the room, where Poppy Pompfrey stood.

As Draco, followed anxiously by the others, stormed over to the bed, Poppy took notice of the group. She turned at the sounds of footsteps and blinks, surprised to see two Slytherins and three Gryffindors standing there with Remus. "Remus," she said accusingly, "you know what Severus asked! He said he did not want to see Draco now! How could you let all these students come up here? The man needs some privacy, some time to recover and rest!" she ranted, waving her wand around slightly.

"I tried, Poppy, I really did," Remus muttered in defeat and sagged into one of the open chairs close by. He let his eyes fall shut as he tried to relax some.

"Severus?" Draco asked meekly, suddenly all of his anger vanishing upon looking into the pale and bruised face of Severus Snape.

The man was barely awake and not quite aware of his surroundings. He groaned and moved restlessly on the bed, only to wince in pain as one of his injuries ached suddenly. This brought his eyes to flutter open and gaze around unsteadily as he pushed himself up to prop against the headboard of the bed. Blearily, he looked around, his gaze focusing and sharpening upon seeing Draco and his blond hair. "Draco," the man gasped, coughing roughly from the soreness he felt in his throat. He averted his gaze away from Draco and scowled at the sheets that lay over his legs and torso. "What do you lot want?" he nearly-snarled, sounding more weak and tired than angry but still fairly upset.

"We came to see if you were okay," Draco muttered, collapsing into the chair that sat beside Snape's bed. He gazed at the dark-haired man in worry, frowning as he watched Snape shift uncomfortably.

"Do I really look okay?" Snape snapped, eyes narrowing. "And you, Lupin," he near-barked, "I thought I said that I did not want to see anyone! That includes these students! What are they doing here?" he asked the werewolf angrily.

Remus flinched slightly under Snape's glare, feeling guilty. "I tried to talk them out of coming up here, Severus, I really did. I was not even going to tell them you were here, but," his voice trailed off to settle into a silence.

"But?"

"Harry saw what you went through last night," Remus deadpanned, "he saw it through Voldemort's eyes... He saw it all and apparently told Draco, Blaise, Hermione, and Ron..."

"Since when do Draco and Potter get along?" Snape asked doubtfully. A small thoughtful and surprised frown settled on the man's lips.

"Since the two have been staying at Grimmauld Place with Blaise, Hermione, Ron, myself, Arthur, and Molly," Remus answered briskly. "I am actually surprised at how well they have been getting along. Even at Grimmauld, things were.. tense between them, but here at Hogwarts, they have seemed to reach a truce of sorts."

Draco scowled and suddenly entered into the conversation by saying, "Oh, yes, Harry and I so love hearing the two of you talk about us while we are standing _right here_!"

Snape sent a small scowl at Draco before looking away again with a muffled moan of pain. "Just go, Draco... All of you, just leave... _Now_," he added icily as protests began to echo around him. He sent warning glares to each student, and all seemed ready to back down except for Draco, of course.

"Come on, Draco," Blaise urged, taking the blond gently by the arm and trying to pull him away towards the doors.

"No," Draco snarled and ripped his arm from his friend's hold. "I'm not finished talking to Severus yet!"

"Oh, yes, you are," Snape argued furiously. He tried to get out of bed and maybe hex the boy so Draco would listen to him and just leave him alone, but his body was too weak. Instead of standing up, he grunted and collapsed back into the bed with a grimace of pain.

"Severus, don't get up, you idiot," Draco said worriedly and rushed over to the bed. He checked Snape over, trying to see if the man was all right and had not hurt himself anymore than he all ready was.

"Draco, go, now," Snape hissed through clenched teeth. He glared at the boy for good measure. He did not feel up to facing Draco, couldn't even keep eye contact with the blond, who was like a son to him in a way.

"Why?" Draco asked stubbornly, perching himself once again in the chair by Snape's bed. When Snape continued to try to run him off, the blond's eyes softened, and in a whisper, he asked, "Why, Severus? Why do you not want me here?" The look on his face expressed just how hurt he felt by what Severus was trying to do.

"How can you stand to be anywhere near me?" Snape finally caved in, ready to see why Draco was not furious with him. If he had been the blond, he would have hated him too. "Oh, you probably don't even know what I have done," he muttered in defeat, his posture slumping slightly. He turned his gaze away so as not to meet Draco's gray eyes.

"You were forced to kill my mum," Draco answered equally as quiet as Snape had just spoke. He gave the man a small, sad smile when Snape's surprised and shamed eyes rose to meet Draco's gaze. Snape tried to look away again, but Draco continued talking, "It's not your fault, I know... Harry told me," he couldn't help but blush when the Potions Master gave him an odd look once the name Harry had fallen from his lips. He was glad that Harry was standing behind him, however, so he could not see Draco's blush, but that did not mean it went unnoticed by Snape. "Harry told me that you were tortured.. that the Dark Lord cast _Imperio _on you and forced you to kill my mother."

Snape's head hung down in shame, and he refused to look up to Draco again. He clenched the white sheets so tightly that his knuckles were turning a whiter color than those sterile sheets themselves. "Yes," was all he said, not trying to speak again.

Harry and the others stood uncomfortably off to the side. Sensing that the two wanted some privacy, Poppy turned and whispered something to Remus, and the two left into Poppy's office without another word. Taking their hint, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Blaise started to inconspicuously make their way to the doors.

Draco let out a shaky breath of relief when he heard the doors click shut behind the others. He was glad they had left the two alone for a private talk. He allowed the tears to start to gather within his eyes as he whispered, "Severus, I don't blame you... I—I mean—I'll miss my mum, but.. at least the Dark Lord didn't manage to kill you too... What of my father?" he asked, trying to stem some of the tears that started flowing down his face.

"You cannot forgive me, Draco... not after what I have done," Snape uttered anxiously, painfully, and he still refused to meet the blond's gaze. "As for your father, he endured the _Cruciatus_ curse some and was thoroughly punished for not gaining any useful information on the Order's plans," he added softly.

"I can forgive you, Severus, I can," Draco said suddenly as soon as Snape finished speaking. "I can't _not_ forgive you! You are one of the few people I have left... I lost my father's respect and love, I have lost my mother, and I have lost a lot of my Slytherin allies that usually make me feel so much safer here at Hogwarts... I can forvie you because I need someone... I know that I have Blaise, but I need you as well... Please accept my forgiveness," he pleaded and set a hand on the man's arm in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

Severus let out a heavy sigh, clearly tired. His gaze flickered to the blond sitting beside his bed. He looked down deep into Draco's eyes, trying to see if there was a lie hidden somewhere there, but he found nothing to suggest that Draco was not being honest with him. "All righ, Draco... Thank you," he muttered.

"Good," Draco smiled softly. He saw how exhausted Snape was and offered, "There's some Dreamless Sleep potion on the nightstand that Madam Pompfrey left. Would you like some? You should rest some more anyway." Without waiting for much of an answer, Draco hurried to get the container the potion was in. Then, he handed it to Snape in a gesturing that meant take-it-if-you-want-it.

Snape nodded and gratefully accepted the potion before downing most of it. His vision started unfocussing until his head was heavy as a ton of bricks and he fell asleep, no dreams to look forward to that particular night.

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Kyla: All right, so how was it? Well, I'm half asleep at the moment and I gotta get some sleep for work.. haha. XP Anyways, I'll talk to you later, I s'pose...! Bye! 


	20. Chapter 20

Kyla: All right, well, this is about a week later than I planned on posting, so sorry about that, lol, but ah well, least I got it done! Anyways, I decided to stop at 8 pages because I'm wearing myself out right now trying to update this and work for 14 days straight... so I dunno how long it will be till the next chapter, but anyway.. enjoy! And don't forget to review!

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Twenty  
by  
Kyla

Once Snape was sound asleep, Draco allowed himself a few sobs before pulling himself back together. He wiped the tear stains off his cheeks and squared his shoulders. "He's asleep," he murmured as he slipped out of the Hospital Wing and quietly shut the doors behind him. He sighed and leaned against the Infirmary doors.

Blaise nodded. "Good, come on, classes are starting in just a few minutes, and we haven't had any breakfast yet." He grinned like a loon to try and lighten the mood. "Let's get something to eat real quick so we don't collapse in Herbology," he said.

"Yeah, I'm starving," Ron exclaimed heading down the corridor ahead of the others. "Come on, you slowpokes!"

Blaise's eyebrow shot up. "Is it just me? Or is Ron acting even more immature than usual?" he asked Hermione, Harry, and Draco.

"Yes, he is," Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'll go catch up with him, someone needs to make sure he gets to class on time," she laughed and hurried after Ron, waving to the other three as she went. "See you in class," she added.

"You not going with Hermione and Ron, Harry?" Blaise asked the Boy-Who-Lived with a raised brow. "You can go on if you want, we are perfectly capable of making it to class on our own, you know," he smirked.

Harry laughed, "Yeah, I know, I was just about to go catch up with them," he said cheerfully as he could. "I guess I'll see you guys this afternoon. Do you mind if we come to do homework with you two again after classes?" he asked to make sure.

"Certainly," Blaise nodded grinning, "You, Ron, and Hermione can come whenever you want. Oh, would you mind stopping by the kitchens and maybe getting some snacks?" he added as a second thought.

"Oh, yeah, no problem," Harry replied and shifted his books around in his arms. "Well, see you tonight then. Bye, Blaise. See you, Draco," he nodded to Blaise and looked to the blond, who was not paying much attention to where he was going. "Draco," he said to get the boy's attention, and once he had it, he gave him a reassuring smile and said, "see you after classes."

"Yeah, bye," Draco murmured, a small smile on his face. Then, he averted his gaze to the floor again as he continued to walk down the corridor.

Harry and Blaise looked at one another, and Harry sighed. He waved good bye to the two Slytherins and hurried to catch up to Hermione and Ron. They would see Draco and Blaise during Herbology and Double History of Magic during the day, but the trio never had the chance to talk to the two Slytherins much.

"You okay, Draco?" Blaise asked and fell into stride with his blond friend. He had a look of worry on his face as he waited for Draco to answer him, but the blond remained silent, seeming to not have heard Blaise. "Draco," he said trying to catch his friend's eye. He repeated his name a few more times before getting an idea. "Draco, Harry just said he wanted to take you out on a date," he said, sounding very convincing and serious.

"What?!" Draco sputtered, eyes focusing and growing wide. He cast a shocked look around, as if expecting Harry to be standing there. When he saw no Harry, his eyes narrowed, and he scowled at Blaise. "That wasn't funny..."

Blaise just grinned. "I know, but I couldn't get your attention otherwise," he stated in a cheery tone. He threw his arm around the blond's shoulders as they tromped down the hallway.

Draco sighed, "Fine, what did you want my attention for?" he asked.

Blaise's smile fell away. "I just wanted to know if you were okay," he murmured and absently tightened his grip on his friend.

Draco could practically feel Blaise's worry. He leaned slightly into the Zabini's touch and heaved a quiet sigh. "Honestly, no, but I will be... I promise," he mumbled slowly, tiredly.

So, classes began, and everything went well for the first few classes, but that peace can never last for too long in Hogwarts. Thanks to the House Rivalry thing, many members of different houses did not get along, and more importantly, many of the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors were all particularly vicious with the Slytherins, who threw hexes right back at the other houses.

Draco and Blaise had thus far managed to avoid a great many conflicts with other houses, and the fights with Gryffindors were slowly lowering in number, as many of the Gryffindors knew that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been hanging around with Blaise and Draco some lately. They still did not like Draco and Blaise, but the other Gryffindors knew enough when to back off once Harry grew angry with some of them for trying to pick fights with the two Slytherins, who seemed to have gotten used to not running into many fights. That, however, soon changed.

The two Slytherins were just coming out of Charms with the Hufflepuffs when a group of seventh-year Ravenclaw boys stopped them. One hollered out for Blaise and Draco to stop, and when Draco and Blaise did indeed turn to face the Ravenclaw students, they knew immediately that something was wrong. They were suddenly face-to-face with six Ravenclaw boys, all of which had their wands trained on the two Slytherins, who—of course—received no help from their own house mates.

Blaise sent the group of seventh-year boys a death glare and stepped protectively in front of Draco. "So, the oh so intelligent Ravens are stooping down to ganging up on two Slytherins, eh?" he near-snarled, his hand reaching into his robes for his wand while Draco scowled at the group of boys but remained silent, drawing his wand in preparation for a fight.

"Well, Malfoy there is one of the main Slytherins that have tormented many members from other houses, including our own, for years. Since he doesn't have many of his Slytherin cronies behind him for some reason this year, we decided now was time to give him what he deserved," one of the Ravenclaws stated with his head held high in superior pride.

Blaise growled angrily. "Leave Draco alone," he demanded fiercely. By now, there was a group of Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, and a few members from the other two houses hanging around as well, but no one made a move to help the two outcast Slytherin's that were being steadily cornered.

"Oh, we'll leave him alone," another unknown Ravenclaw boy smirked, "once we try out a few hexes we just learned," he added silkily.

"Back off," Draco barked his order. He did not like the way this was going. He didn't know the Ravenclaws would really gang up on them, but he supposed they did not carry any traits of Godric Gryffindor, which was only fair because they had not been sorted into the mighty House of Gryffindor.

"What's going on here?" someone demanded from down the corridor. There was a sound of three people running down the hallway, and soon, Harry, Ron, and Hermione appeared, all three panting lightly. It was Harry who had spoken, and when he received no answer, he scowled and repeated his question, sounding angrier. "Well? What's going on?!"

"Oh, nothing, Potter," the ring leader of the group of Ravenclaw boys grinned triumphantly. He let fly a random hex that he had read about just last week. It hit Draco head on, and the blond's fair skin turned dark purple. "We're just getting some well overdue revenge on Malfoy," the Ravenclaw said nonchalantly.

Harry's brows furrowed angrily, but as he was about to say something, Blaise, in his fury, sent a hex right back at the Ravenclaw that had hexed Draco. Soon, there were spells flying every which way, some hitting their intended targets and some missing those targets. Draco's blond hair was now a wild, long, and very orange color to go with his purple skin. His nose was bleeding from where he had gotten into a quick hand-to-hand fight with one of the Ravenclaw boys. Blaise. on the other hand, was nursing a few bruises and some pains from the hexes that the Ravenclaws had thrown. A lot of those hexes were not for playing pranks or embarrassing someone... but the Ravenclaw boys did not come out any better than Blaise or Draco.

Before the fight had gone too far, Harry was seeing red. He was furious, so he yanked out his wand and performed a very powerful _Expelliarmus_. Everyone within a ten feet distance of Harry lost their wand, all the sticks of wood flying right out of other students hands and cloaks. "Enough!" he bellowed when he saw the two Slytherins and the group of boys from Ravenclaw start to brawl and punch and kick each other. No one seemed to be listening much to Harry though, much to the Golden Boy's annoyance.

It was a good thing that Professor Flitwick came to investigate the noise. He cast a spell quickly, and at once, everyone stopped, as if frozen. Flitwick tsk'ed at the students that had been fighting. "What happened?" he asked, deeply disappointed in his students. He lifted the spell, and everyone immediately started talking, the Ravenclaws trying to pin the blame on Blaise and Draco, while the two Slytherins said that they had done nothing wrong and had merely been attacked on their way from Charms.

"Right, you boys," Flitwick said to the Ravenclaw boys, "will serve three day's worth of detention with me. Come along, and we will discuss your outlandish behavior...! Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Zabini, off to the Hospital Wing with you." With that, the small professor turned and left, the Ravenclaw boys shooting filthy looks at Draco and Blaise before following Flitwick with their heads bowed down slightly in the shame of being caught.

"Blaise? Draco?" Hermione asked as she, Ron, and Harry ran to the misfit Slytherins' sides, "are the two of you okay?"

"Do we look okay?" Draco snapped, scowling fiercely down the hallway as the last of the Ravenclaw boys disappeared.

Ron helped Blaise to his feet, the Zabini stumbling slightly. Draco had collapsed to his knees just after Flitwick had broken up the fight, and he was currently nursing a sore hand. Someone else's hand then came into his line of vision, and the blond looked up to see Harry Potter offering to help him up. He eyed the hand for a moment before taking it and letting the Boy-Who-Lived help him up.

"We need to go to the Hospital Wing," Blaise stated unnecessarily. "We can make it just fine, you guys don't have to go with us," he added, taking Draco by the arm and starting to walk down the corridor.

"That's all right," Hermione said, "we can at least walk you there."

"Won't you be late for History of Magic?" Blaise teased the bushy-haired girl and grinned.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "As if Professor Binns will actually notice?" Hermione asked, her eyes twinkling.

Ron and Harry gaped at her. "Hermione," Ron began after his shock wore off some, "y-you just.. do you mean.. but.. huh?!" he babbled.

Harry sighed and said, "What Ron means is, are you really saying that you would be late or possibly even _skip_ a class?"

"Sure, why not, I've all ready read ahead in History of Magic and have jotted some notes down from it. It won't hurt to miss a class," Hermione replied with a big grin. "Oh, honestly, you two, don't look at me like that..! What is it?"

Harry and Ron shared a look before snickering. "Hermione is going to actually skip a class," Ron laughed, the shock of it all causing him to bark out his laughter. "We'd better take her to Pompfrey," he added grinning.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, his laughter subsiding some. He took note that Draco was not saying a word. Instead, the blond was merely staring ahead of him at the floor, eyes slightly dulled to a slate gray. "Um, Draco?" Harry asked, "you okay?"

Draco just shrugged and kept walking. He ignored the others, and he even ignored Blaise. He heard the others behind him, trying to get him to talk, but it was greatly annoying him. "Leave me alone," he snapped at his friends. When they did not cease to annoy him, he gritted his teeth and broke out in a run for the Hospital Wing. "Just go to class and leave me alone! I'll go to the Hospital Wing on my own!" he yelled over his shoulder.

Blaise ran to catch up with him. "Hey, wait up! I have to go to the Hospital Wing too!! I'm just in need of it as you!" He was trying to be light-hearted, to try and cheer Draco up, but the blond didn't stop running, so Blaise had to chase him all the way to the Hospital Wing.

Hermione had watched the two Slytherins run off, and she was feeling slightly worried. "I'll let you guys copy my notes from History of Magic," she added, calling down the hallway after the two boys.

Blaise grinned over his shoulder, "Thanks, Hermione." He said good bye to them, and they listened as the pair's footsteps faded away, then Hermione ushered the other two boys to History of Magic.

While History of Magic went on as usual, Draco—trailed by Blaise—made his way to the Hospital Wing and was fixed up by Madame Pompfrey. She clucked her tongue in disappointment and hurried over to the two boys, checking them over separately. First, she healed Blaise up, and with much persuasion from Draco, the Zabini headed back to History of Magic. Draco had promised to be careful on his way back.

"Thank you, Madame Pompfrey," the blond finally thanked the woman politely before asking her with a look if he could go over and see Snape. She sighed and nodded in defeat but gave him a warning look that clearly told him not to hang around the man too long.

Draco pushed aside the curtains just enough so that one person could fit through. He slipped in and pulled the curtains closed again. "Severus? Are you awake?" Draco asked quietly, not wanting to wake the man if he was asleep.

Snape sighed and focused his gaze on Draco. "Yes," he muttered in defeat, knowing he could not fake sleeping in front of Draco. The blond knew how to read Snape. "What is it, Draco? Why are you not in class?" he snapped, trying to sound menacing, but his voice came out as weak as when he had faced Draco earlier.

Draco paused, as if he was contemplating telling Snape the truth. In the end, he decided that Snape could probably sense that something was amiss if the blond tried to lie. Sighing, he grumbled, "Blaise and I got into a fight... Blaise just left a few minutes ago..." He rolled his eyes at the look that Snape sent him and added, "Don't look at me like that. For once, we didn't start it... A group of Ravens decided they would gang up on me and Blaise, and we don't have any of the other Slytherins to turn to for help..."

Snape's eyes fell shut momentarily in as close to a grimace as he could manage. Then, he opened his eyes again and stared at Draco. "The two of you need to be more careful," he stated blandly.

"You think we don't know that?" Draco asked dryly, an eyebrow quirked. "Honestly, we're trying... We usually hang out in an unused classroom until after curfew, then we slip into our dormitories to rest. We wake up before any of our other house mates so that we can get back to that same classroom and sit there until breakfast starts... The Ravens caught us as we were coming out of Charms, there was nothing we could do... If Harry and his friends hadn't come, we would have been worse off..."

Snape sent a confused scowl at the blond boy beside his bed. "Potter? So you and Blaise are actually getting along with Potter and his friends? That is something that I thought I would never see," the Potions Master muttered the last of that more to himself, but he saw the blond smirk from the corner of his eye. "Well, if Potter is helping you and Mr. Zabini," Snape sighed, "then I suppose that is a good thing..."

"Um.. there is something else that I... that I want to tell you, but... I don't know how you'll react to it... You might hate me," Draco began to babble uneasily. He fidgeted and avoided eye contact. "It has something to do with Harry..."

Snape's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What is it?" Draco paused, searching for the nerve to tell Snape that he had a crush on Harry. Snape was like his father, acted more like a real dad than Lucius ever had, so Draco felt compelled to spill his secrets to Snape.

"Well?" Snape urged after a moment of silence. "Draco, tell me," he demanded, getting kind of panicked. What was it? Hm, something to do with Potter... "What is it, Draco? Is he doing something to you and Blaise? Maybe trying to force you two to give them things or having to be their servants or some such nonsense for their help? Is that why they came to help you with those Ravenclaws?" he asked cautiously. "Draco, I need to know if Potter's--," he started to say, but the blond cut him off quickly.

"No, Harry hasn't done anything like that... We—well Blaise really—asked Harry and his friends to help us once we returned to Hogwarts. We knew the Slytherins would see us as traitors, and as we have never got along well with any of the other houses, we really needed some allies, but... no, this isn't something Harry's done, per say," Draco babbled before taking a deep breath and focusing on what he wanted to say. "Well, you see," he muttered, "I kind of... sort of.. maybe.. have a," he let his voice trail off, the rest of the sentence coming out as inaudible and jumbled together.

Snape's eyebrows knitted together, and he frowned thoughtfully. Though he was still being very cautious around Draco since he _had_ been forced to kill the blond's mother the night before, Snape could tell that Draco still wanted him, needed him. He was a surrogate father to the boy, and he knew full well that was how Draco saw him. He felt.. strange, letting Draco think of him as that, and he felt somewhat sad that the blond was not his own child by birth, but at least he had been there for all the times that Lucius seemed not to care to miss. "Draco, just tell me, I won't hate you. Now, tell me," he said sternly, but softly.

"Um... IhaveacrushonHarry," Draco let out that one sentence in about two seconds, all the words jumbled together so they were totally indistinguisable. He saw the confused and slightly annoyed look forming on Snape's face, so the blond took a deep breath before looking away and at the floor and saying, "I have... a crush on Harry..."

Snape was not surprised too terribly often, and even if he was, being a spy, it was easy for him to hide his shock, but this time, it was just too much. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. He looked at Draco like he was something he had never seen before. A tense and uncomfortable silence followed for Draco while Snape sat there for a moment before finally getting over the shock.

"All right," Snape finally conceded to break the thick silence first. Choosing his next words carefully, he softened his gaze. "So, women just don't hold your interest?" he chuckled dryly, as if trying to lighten the mood. He was glad to see Draco laugh, albeit somewhat tensely and uncomfortably, then he turned serious. "Does Potter know?" he asked, and from the brush of pink that touched Draco's cheeks and the way that Draco looked sad told the ex-Professor that the Potter boy did _not_ know. Snape sighed, "That's fine, Draco, but if it is just a crush it will pass. So do not stress over it, understand?" he asked.

"Yes, of course, Severus," Draco replied smoothly, holding himself up with pride. "Harry won't ever find out anyway, since I won't tell him, and Blaise won't, and his friends don't know, so... I suppose I just hope this crush thing passes fast," he added in annoyance, a small scowl on his face.

Severus sighed, "Well, you should head back to class now, Draco... Go on, but be wary, don't let any of the other Houses catch you by surprise. You're still a Slytherin, remember?" He smirked at the blond, who rolled his eyes and nodded. "Good, now, off you go," the dark-haired man ushered the blond away with a wave of his hand.

"All right, bye, Severus," Draco said. He pulled the curtains around Snape shut, and with a nod to Madam Pompfrey, the blond headed out of the Hospital Wing and for History of Magic. Once he got there, he slid into the room, taking the only empty seat, which—luckily—was beside Blaise.

Blaise jotted something down on a spare bit of parchment before jabbing Draco lightly in the side. He shifted the parchment over to the blond, so he could read it. It said, _"So, how's Snape doing?"_ Blaise pushed the parchment silently to his friend when Draco beckoned for it.

Quickly writing out a reply, Draco pushed the parchment back to Blaise with narrowed eyes.

"_How did you know?"_

Blaise grinned and replied, _"Well, it took Pompfrey less than five minutes to get me all fixed up before sending me on my way, and you've missed almost an hour more of class than I have."_

When Draco took back the parchment, he scowled at it before dipping his quill in his ink and writing something else, his hand scrawling elegantly written words across the paper. _"Aren't you just so clever? ... Yes, Severus is doing fine, still looking pretty tired, but he looks like he's feeling better..."_

The Zabini's eyes roved over the elegant scrawl before writing his own response. _"That's good. I'm sure he'll be good as new in no time at all...! Oh, and Hermione said that she would let the two of us borrow her notes for this class."_ Blaise looked over what he had written before handing it over to Draco, who scanned the words just as quickly.

Draco let out a silent sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly. _"That's nice of her, but she doesn't have to keep helping us with our schoolwork. Didn't we just ask her, Harry, and Ron to try to stop other Houses to pick fights with us? Why are they hanging out with us in the evenings? I have to say I'm somewhat confused,"_ he scrawled out, glancing up occassionally to make sure no one was looking at the two of them passing notes. It was not like Professor Binns would notice, but some of the other students might, and they might try to say something.

Blaise looked around just as Draco did before snatching at the parchment and reading what the blond had written. Then, he quilled out his own response, _"Hey, you don't hear me complaining... I hate to admit it, but it's actually pretty fun hanging out with those three Gryffindorks,"_ and it was here that Blaise smirked, _"but I thought you would be even happier than me, especially since Harry's been hanging around us so much lately..."_ He passed the note sideways, his smirk still firmly in place.

Draco read over the next few lines, smirking at the Gryffindorks part, but that smirk fell away quickly when he read the last few words. He knew Blaise was teasing him again, and he was getting somewhat tired of the teasing... He liked Harry, yes, but did Blaise really have to say it so often? Word was going to get out, and if it did, then... Well, Draco was not too sure he wanted to think about what could happen if that particular secret got out.

"_Yes, Blaise, yes, all right,"_ Draco wrote back, _"I am glad that Harry has been hanging out with us, but at the same time, it hurts because I'm so close to him, and yet I still feel so far away. Are you happy now?"_

Blaise's smirk fell away upon reading what Draco had written. With a thoughtful frown, he wrote, _"Well, why not trying asking Harry if you could hang out with him and his friends on the next Hogsmeade weekend?"_

"_You're joking, right? Why don't you ask for the both of us? They like you more,"_ Draco wrote, sounding very snappish.

Blaise rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. _"All right, I'll ask them, but then you have to try and ask Harry to go do something with you, try to get him to go to the Shrieking Shack with you or something, and me and Ron and Hermione can meet you somewhere else later, okay?"_

"_No way."_ Draco's answer was absolute. He was very stubborn. There was no way that he would do something like that, and Blaise knew it, but it didn't make the Zabini even less annoyed. So, Blaise gave up and didn't push that with Draco any further. Instead, class ended, and the two went about their business as usual, but Blaise figured that maybe he could talk to Harry about Draco. He didn't know how it would go, but it was worth a shot. He wouldn't tell Harry that Draco had a crush on him, but maybe he could at least see if Harry would be interested in Draco.

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Kyla: So? How was it? Prolly not the best... I'm trying to get more into the HarryDraco stuff, so sorry it's taking so long...! haha, I just wanna smack myself, but well.. I can't just snap my fingers and have the two kissing and stuff. Well, okay I COULD, but... anyways... so please review! I need a boost! lol. 


	21. Chapter 21

Kyla: All right, first off, this is not that long of a chapter... it's sort of a bridge chapter. Anyways, I'll try to work on the next one this weekend since I'm off work. xD Anyways, enjoy!

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Twenty-One  
by  
Kyla

After classes, Draco and Blaise returned to the classroom they usually did their homework in. They talked about anything and everything for a few minutes until a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. "Yes?" Blaise called out in answer to the knock, slipping his wand out of his robes in case it was someone wanting to start a fight with them.

The door opened, and Harry's head popped in. "Can we come in?" he asked the pair of Slytherins. The two heard Hermione sigh and say something about them not having to knock in the background, and Draco and Blaise snickered at one another.

"Sure, come on in! You know you guys don't have to knock," Blaise grinned at Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they entered into the room. He and Draco made room for the three Gryffindors over by the windows.

"I told them that," Hermione grumbled and shook her head. She dug around in her bag, pulling out her Transfiguration homework, "But do they listen to me? No, of course not," she scoffed.

"Sorry, Hermione," Harry apologized in order to bring peace to the room, "we should have listened to you."

Hermione grinned and muttered, "Kiss up..."

"Ahem," Blaise said, breaking into the middle of the playful banter before Ron could jump in and possibly make things take a turn for the worse, "so, the next Hogsmeade Weekend is this weekend."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at Blaise for a moment, as if wondering why he brought that up so suddenly. "Yes, it is," Hermione answered evenly, and a silence fell upon them while they waited for Blaise to speak up.

"Well, would you guys mind if me and Draco hung out with you guys?" Blaise asked bluntly, a brilliant grin on his face.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry all looked at one another for a moment. "No, not at all," Hermione replied and smiled at the two Slytherins, elbowing Ron sharply in the side before he could say something rude.

So, the group of students made plans to meet up at the door that Saturday morning bright and early after breakfast. Then, they sat down and worked on some of their schoolwork, awaiting the Hogsmeade weekend with much impatience. All of them wanted to get out of the castle for a little while, and they had plans to go to just about every store in Hogsmeade.

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione were about to leave, Blaise called out to Hermione. "Hey, Hermione!" When he had the muggle-born's attention, he asked, "Could I talk to you in private for a second? I gotta ask you something."

Hermione eyed Blaise cautiously but nonetheless nodded and replied, "Sure, I don't see why not..." She turned to Ron and Harry, both of whom were standing there waiting on her. "It's fine," she told them, "go on ahead."

"You sure?" Ron asked her.

"Yes, it'll be fine," Hermione reassured her two best friends, "go on. I'll be up soon." She shooed them off, then she turned back around to wait for Blaise to decide where they would talk.

"Thanks, Hermione," Blaise said and smiled at her. "Wait here for a few minutes, okay, Draco?" he added, looking to the blond, who was watching him rather suspiciously. Draco knew that Blaise was up to something, but no matter how hard he stared at Blaise, he could not figure it out.

"Fine," Draco sighed, "I'll wait.." He scowled in annoyance and shifted in his chair in hopes of getting more comfortable.

"Thanks, Draco," Blaise told the blond and hugged him swiftly. "I'll try to be quick," he whispered into Draco's ear before he stepped away from the blushing and scowling blond. He nodded to Hermione, and the two left the room, going a ways down the corridor before slipping into another classroom.

"All right, what did you need to talk to me about, Blaise?" Hermione asked and perched herself on one of the desks.

"Well, you know how Draco likes Harry," Blaise stated with a grin, and when Hermione nodded in reply, he continued speaking, "I was thinking that this Hogsmeade weekend, we could get them alone together for a while... I just need your help plotting."

"Oh," Hermione mouthed before giggling, "Sure, I would love to help, but... how?" Her mind began running a mile a minute while she thought of a way to get Harry and Draco alone together.

"Well, I was thinking," Blaise muttered, and his voice grew quieter, eyes shooting to the door now and then as if he was afraid Draco would just waltz in, "that you could conveniently and purposefully leave behind something that you need... and I'll..." The two plotted quietly for another few minutes until everything was settled.

"All right," Hermione giggled again, getting excited, "now... do we tell Draco about the plan?" she asked as she and Blaise stood up and headed for the door.

"No!" Blaise exclaimed. He apologized when he saw he had clearly startled Hermione, then he explained, "No... if he knew we were doing this, he would try to stop it. It's best to make sure they both stay clueless—ah, Draco!" He stopped midway through his sentence in order to greet Draco, who had been walking down the corridor to meet them.

"What are the two of you up to?" Draco asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowed and trained on Blaise and Hermione.

"I am hurt," Blaise said, faking a frown, and both him and the blond knew he was joking around, "I can't even talk to Hermione alone without someone thinking that we're up to something...! Can you believe this Hermione?!" he asked, looking to her.

Hermione shook her head and laughed, deciding not to comment on that. Instead, she started walking up to her Common Room. "Bye, guys! I'll see you tomorrow," she called over her shoulder as she went.

Once Hermione was out of sight, Draco turned back to Blaise. "Seriously, what are you and Granger up to?" he asked again, hoping to get an answer this time.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Blaise sing-songed as he and the blond began the journey down to the dungeons. He grinned at the scowl Draco had sent him. "Come on, Draco, it's fine. Nothing, really," he reassured him.

Draco eyed Blaise cautiously and inquired, "Blaise... are you and Granger... are the two of you together or something?" He did not know how he would react if Blaise told him yes.

"What?" Blaise asked, clearly dumbfounded, "No! No way... Hermione likes Ron! I don't like her! I like her in the friendly way is all, Draco, that is it!" he swiftly stated and shook his head at Draco. "Hermione and I just had... some business to attend to," he added and smirked slyly at his blond friend before falling silent and not answering any of Draco's questions.

The two finally got to their Common Room, and silently they bid one another good night before tucking themselves into bed. Draco could still tell that Blaise and Hermione were planning something, but he would just have to wait until the Hogsmeade weekend to see exactly what was going on.

While the two Slytherins were going to bed, Hermione had just entered into the Gryffindor Common Room, where Ron and Harry immediately asked her what Blaise had wanted to talk to her about. "Oh," Hermione sighed, "nothing... we just had something that needed to be taken care of." She grinned at them and told them good night, heading off to bed without another word to the pair of Gryffindors, who watched in confusion as she walked away grinning ear-to-ear.

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Kyla: Okay, next chapter jumps to the Hogsmeade weekend, and we get to find out what Blaise and Hermione have planned! Even some Harry and Draco moments! xD Anyways, see you next chapter! I'll try to work on it this weekend! 


	22. Chapter 22

Kyla: All right, well, personally, I like this chapter... and it's ten pages and with HarryDraco moments in it! Anyways, might be OOC, so I'm going to post this before I doubt myself and rewrite it... I really do not want to try and rewrite it... lol. Anyways, hope you enjoy! And me no ownie Harry Potter... lol. Also, I would like to dedicate this to BunBunBabe! She helped me with ideas and got me motivated to write this! xD lol, thanks so much BunBunBabe!

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter Twenty-Two  
by  
Kyla

Finally, Saturday morning dawned, and many students were awakening earlier than they usually would. That's because it was a Hogsmeade weekend, so many were excited to be able to get out of the castle and were anxious to get to Hogsmeade to get some Butterbeer and Ice Cream. Zonko's Joke Shop was always a stop for many students.

Among those preparing to visit Hogsmeade were Harry, Ron, Hermione, Blaise, and Draco. The Slytherins had, as usual, awoken before their fellow dorm mates and whiled away the time until breakfast by talking about everything, and yet nothing. Draco still suspected that Blaise and Hermione were up to something, but he had long since given up trying to figure it out. If Blaise did not want Draco to know, the blond would not know, no matter how annoyed this made Draco.

"Come on," Hermione sighed in aggravation at the door to Harry and Ron's dorm. She rapped on the door sharply and scolded her friends, "hurry! We told Draco and Blaise that we would go to breakfast right when it starts!" At the annoyed yells she got in reply, she huffed, "I swear... the two of you are worse than any girl I know!"

"Oi," Ron exclaimed, feeling quite insulted as he swung the dorm room door open. If the scowl on his face was any indication, he was not happy with what Hermione had just said. "No need to say stuff like that... Me and Harry're coming," he said defensively and exited the room, Harry following him out.

"Sorry, Hermione," Harry murmured and yawned widely. The night previous was spent half in fitful sleep full of the usual nightmares while the other half saw Harry sitting up in bed with bloodshot eyes, refusing to go back to sleep that night before slumber finally overcame him. Ron attempted to wake Harry several times before finally succeeding at the last possible minute when Harry could stand Ron's pestering no longer. "It was my fault," he added and wiped a hand over his tired face to try and wake himself better, "Ron couldn't wake me up."

Hermione's eyes softened suddenly. "Harry... did you see anything last night?" she asked concerned, and Harry knew she was referring to whether or not he had experienced one of those times where he could see what Voldemort saw and felt what emotions Voldemort was feeling.

"No, just couldn't sleep," Harry replied nonchalantly and waved a hand carelessly to sweep aside his friends' concern. "Come on, let's go," he added and headed for the portrait hole, "we're all ready late."

So, Ron, Harry, and Hermione all made their way down to the classroom that Blaise and Draco had sufficiently deemed their personal "Common Room," though it was definitely not nearly as nice as the Slytherin Common Rooms, but at least in this classroom no one glared at them.

The two Slytherins were sitting in the same classroom as always, feeling just a little confused and frustrated as to why the Gryffindor trio was late. When the door opened, they both looked over to see the trio run in.

"Sorry we're late," Hermione apologized, Ron and Harry echoing her words. They walked over and collapsed into some chairs, panting for breath lost during their sprint down the several flights of stairs.

"It's fine," Blaise grinned as he spoke, finding it quite funny that the three would be late on the start of a Hogsmeade weekend visit.

"Why were you late?" Draco snapped and scowled. He did not like to be kept waiting. "Let me guess," he drawled, "you overslept... typical... While you may be able to sleep in, _some_ of us do not have that luxury." He glared at the three separately then looked away, refusing to stare at them any longer.

"Hey," Ron growled angrily, "you have no right to talk to us like that!" He tried to get up and move to where Draco could see how angry he was, but Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his chair, hissing into his ear to be quiet and not start a fight.

Draco merely shrugged in return and refused to say anything in remark to Ron's statement.

"Draco," Hermione said gently, "we just ran late... It.. it wasn't really anyone's fault." She was trying to prevent a fight from starting before they all left to spend the day in Hogsmeade.

Draco snorted in a disbelieving way but remained silent. He ignored the sighed, "Draco," that came from Blaise.

Harry sighed and admitted, "Actually, it was my fault..." He scowled at the blond when Draco turned around and made a face that clearly said he knew it had been someone's fault. "I didn't get much sleep last night, so when Ron tried to wake me up on time, it didn't work... He barely even got me up this morning..." He looked down at the floor as some of the nightmares he had the night before drifted through the forefront of his mind.

Draco eyed Harry carefully for a moment, seeing the boy's green eyes flash as he was obviously remembering dreams from the night before. "Whatever, Potter," the blond replied monotone, no longer sounding spiteful or angry, and everyone knew that that was Draco's way of saying that Harry's apology had been accepted.

Harry grinned. He had noticed how Draco was than from their previous years at Hogwarts. All the harsh words and insults were Draco's way of hiding the real him, that had recently began to show itself during the afternoon when the five hung out and did homework.

"So, what are we sitting around here for?" Blaise asked suddenly in the silence and pushed himself up, "Come on, we should get to breakfast! Let's go!" He grabbed Draco's arm and pulled the blond to his feet, heading for the door.

Draco allowed a small smile to form over his face, and he shook his head at Blaise's sudden outburst. Then, he looked to the three Gryffindors, the little grin still on his face, and asked, "Are you three coming or not?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Hermione replied after a moment's stunned silence at seeing the smile on Draco's face. She and her two best friends rushed after the pair of Slytherins and caught up swiftly. They walked into the Great Hall together, talking and getting along, ignoring the looks that everyone was giving them.

Some of their fellow students were glaring, some were gaping openly, still surprised to see two Slytherins hanging out with Harry Potter and his friends and also to see Harry Potter and his friends actually agreeing and apparently enjoying hanging out with two Slytherins. Others in the Great Hall, like most of the teachers and Ravenclaws, found this common place now and were not surprised in the least, not giving the group a second glance upon their arrival. The five had been hanging out openly in between classes for the last few days, thanks to Hermione getting Blaise and Draco to agree to spend time in between classes and during free periods hanging out with her and Harry and Ron.

Upon entering into the Great Hall, the five split into two groups. Harry, Ron, and Hermione continued to the Gryffindor table while Draco and Blaise sat down at the Slytherin table, at the very end and away from their glaring house mates. Both outcast Slytherins eyed the rest of their table warily, never dropping their guard as they ate and left the Hall as quickly as they could, knowing that the teachers were watching out for any aggression from the two outcasts' fellow Slytherins to keep the duo safe but not completely trusting the staff.

"I feel sorry for those two," Hermione sighed the same thing for the fifth morning in a row. "They can't even sit down and eat in peace... They're always afraid someone's going to jinx them." She pushed her plate away, her appetite completely gone at the moment.

"It's all right, Hermione," Ron said rather awkwardly. He wanted to comfort Hermione, tell her—with some confidence in his voice—that everything would indeed be all right, but he was not good with women. He had no idea what to really say.

"Yeah, they have the professors and us looking out for them," Harry added comfortingly, finishing off his breakfast. "I'm through, what about you guys?" he asked. Hermione nodded, but Ron shook his head then frantically started stuffing the rest of what was on his plate into his mouth.

"Ron," Hermione said in disgust, hers and Harry's noses wrinkled and faces scrunched up, "learn some manners!" She stood up and said, "I'll be waiting outside with Draco and Blaise."

Ron gulped down his giant mouthful of food and stared after her, getting depressed. "I can't do anything right," he groaned and pushed his plate away, not feeling hungry anymore.

"That's not true," Harry argued and frowned at what his friend had said. At the look Ron sent him, Harry grinned and added, "Well, okay, not _entirely _true... You just don't know how to really act around girls.. I guess that is likely, considering how many older brothers you have and how you only have one little sister, and a tomboy sister at that..."

"Harry," Ron moaned, "is this supposed to make me feel better somehow? Because at the moment, I don't feel better..." He gave his friend a half-hearted scowl before sighing and resting his head on his arms that were crossed and sitting on the tabletop.

Harry rolled his eyes. "It'll be fine," he said, "just wait and see. No need to get depressed... Hey, maybe you can get Hermione to go somewhere with you today! Blaise, Draco, and I can go somewhere else so you two can have some time alone or something." A grin worked its way onto his face. He thought it was a great idea. He really wanted his friends to be happy, and the two liked each other, he just knew. However, neither Harry nor Ron knew of the plan that Blaise and Hermione had thought up days before.

"You sure, Harry?" Ron asked cautiously, "I wouldn't want to make you spend time with Blaise and Malfoy, er.. Draco," he corrected himself, trying to get used to calling the blond Draco instead of Malfoy, "I don't want you to feel left out.." He shifted in his seat uncomfortably and looked at Harry as if he might snap at him and get angry, blow up at him or something.

"I won't feel left out," Harry grinned and reassured his friend, "I swear. I don't mind hanging out with Blaise and Draco, so don't worry about me. We'll still be friends, so no worries."

"Well," Ron said and blushed at the thought of only him and Hermione going and doing something together, "if you're sure..." He paused and looked to Harry, as if expecting the boy beside him to say that he was not sure and that he did not want the two to leave Harry out, but when he was met with a bright smile on Harry's face, he caved, "then, I suppose I'll try to get her to go to Honeydukes with me... If that's all right," he added quickly and looked to Harry again.

Harry sighed. "Ron, you don't have to ask if it's all right with me... Sounds great! I think the two of you will have fun," he said kindly and stood up, "and don't worry about me. I'll live... Anyway, are you ready yet?"

"Oh," Ron jumped to his feet, "yeah, sure." He and Harry left the Great Hall and met up with Hermione, Blaise, and Draco at the base of the Grand Staircase. The five puttered around and talked until the caretaker Filch moved to the doors, clipboard in hand and quill at the ready. He was to check that all the students leaving were allowed to leave in the first place, and the five were first in line to get out of the castle.

Once the small group was halfway to the gates, Hermione gasped, her eyes growing wide, and she stopped right then and there. "Oh no, I forgot my purse," she cried, effectively causing her four companions to stop and look back at her funny. She looked back to the castle then at her friends then back to the castle again. "Oh, I can't believe I forgot it... I'm sorry, I have to go back and get it.. please?" she asked, acting very much like she had actually forgotten her purse instead of purposefully leaving it behind.

Draco gave an irritated sigh and looked longingly at the gates before saying, "Fine.. go on, we'll wait..."

Hermione tried to look upset. "No, it's pointless for you all to wait on me... I can go by myself," she said looking pitifully at her friends, eying Ron subtly more. She even turned around and started to walk off when Blaise's voice caused her to stop.

"Are you sure you should go by yourself?" Blaise asked the girl just as they had planned. "What if one of the other students decide to try something? Shouldn't someone go with you?" he inquired, looking at the other three for support and referring to his fellow Slytherins with the "other students" comment.

"Blaise might be right, Hermione," Harry said and anxiously watched a group of glaring Slytherin third years pass by, "maybe one of us _should _go with you..."

Draco tsk'ed and plopped down onto the ground. "Fine, let me know when you decide," he sneered and fell silent, just wanting to go to Hogsmeade. He was glad he was even able to go. Thanks to the Headmistress and the professors, he had been reassured that he would be able to go to Hogsmeade with the utmost protection around the village on Hogsmeade weekends, though the protection was not just for Draco and Blaise, but for all students.

"Well, who wants to go with me then?" Hermione asked Blaise, Ron, and Harry, but her eyes remained on Ron's face longer than the other two.

Harry noticed this and said, "Ron, why don't you go?" He looked to the redhead and gave him an intent stare, trying to convey that this was his chance right here. "That way Blaise and Draco can have one of us around to help keep any unwanted attention away," he added and meaningfully stared at the redhead.

"Um," Ron stammered, "uh, sure.. Sure, Hermione, I'll go with you." He blushed when Hermione smiled and thanked him. "No problem," he muttered awkwardly and allowed Hermione to lead the way back to the castle. As he walked off, he thanked Harry silently with his eyes then followed Hermione into the castle.

Harry watched them go with a smile on his face then turned to the two Slytherins. "Okay, so are you two ready to go?" he asked, "We can go to Dervish and Banges and knock around for a little while to wait on them if you want."

"Finally," Draco exclaimed and jumped up, "let's go! I just want to actually get inside Hogsmeade! After that, I don't care where we go!" He walked off, leaving Harry and Blaise to look at each other before chasing off after the blond boy.

"Calm down, Draco," Blaise said and patted Draco on the back once they caught up to the blond.

It was at that moment they were off Hogwarts' grounds and were headed for Hogsmeade. Then, Draco let out a small, relieved sigh. "It feels sort of nice being away from Hogwarts... I'm sorry, Blaise... I just wanted to get out of that castle. I was locked up in Grimmauld Place for part of my summer and then I get to be cooped up in the castle most of the time..." He sighed, and his shoulder's slumped slightly.

"It'll be okay, Draco," Blaise said brightly, "Come on, let's go to Dervish and Banges like Harry said! That'll cheer you up." He grinned knowingly at the blond.

"Oh yes, seeing all sorts of things that I like and cannot possibly buy no matter what, that will cheer me up for sure," Draco grumbled and scowled at his friend.

"Draco," Blaise sighed, "I've told you. I have some money, it'll be fine... It's not a lot, but we can still get a few things." He tried to make his friend feel better with his words, but he was actually making the blond feel worse, worse for whining about having no money when he knew that Blaise would offer anything he had in his pocket.

"No thanks, Blaise," Draco stated depressed and stepped away from Blaise. He shoved his hands into his cloak before storming off ahead, heading for the Dervish and Banges store.

Blaise looked after the blond sadly then sighed and glanced at Harry, who had been walking awkwardly beside the pair. The Gryffindor felt like he was out of place, and he certainly looked like it. He really had no idea what to say, especially to Draco, his former school rival. "Come on.. we better catch up to him," said Blaise to Harry.

"Right," Harry said, his awkward feeling gone now, and the two hurried after Draco. They found him wandering the store aimlessly. Now and then he would pick something up and look at it before setting it back down and moving on to another part of the store.

An hour passed by, and by then, the three had looked all throughout the store. Harry was beginning to worry about Ron and Hermione, wondering why there wasn't any sign of them when he, Blaise, and Draco left Dervish and Banges in search of Ron and Hermione somewhere in the crowds of students.

"It's fine, Harry," Blaise said and waved off Harry's concern, "Come on, let's grab something to eat. From here, we'll stand a good chance of seeing Ron and Hermione. They're sure to pass by here and probably try to find us here."

"But what if they've all ready passed by here?" Harry asked anxiously. He followed Draco and Blaise over to The Three Broomsticks nevertheless and sat down. The three ordered butterbeers and began talking aimlessly about nothing.

A few minutes after they had gotten their drinks, Blaise excused himself to, supposedly go to the restroom. In reality, he walked towards the restrooms, but at the last moment, he veered off and behind a group of students coming in so he could slip out unseen by Draco and Harry. With a victorious smirk on his face, he strolled across the street and into Zonko's Joke Shop, seeing Ron and Hermione in the corner. "Hello," he greeted them pleasantly.

"Hermione told me what you two were up to," Ron said, not putting it off. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Sure, we're sure," Blaise said nonchalantly. His grin widened as he added, "I think we should shadow them though... You know, I really don't want to miss the show..."

Hermione looked apprehensive about spying on Harry and Draco, but Blaise managed to talk her into it, and now they just had to convince Ron, who was uncharacteristically apprehensive about spying on Harry and Draco.

However, back in The Three Broomsticks, Draco and Harry had fell into an uncomfortable silence since Blaise had left. Draco drummed his fingers impatiently on the table, and he kept shooting looks over to the restrooms, hoping to see Blaise come out any moment. He did not want to be here with Harry by himself. What if he were to blurt something out that he shouldn't? Like how he had a crush on the boy?

"What the bloody hell is taking him so long?" Draco snarled at no one in particular, but he was pleasantly surprised to hear Harry speak.

"Maybe he fell in?" Harry asked. The two looked at one another for a moment before they both burst into chuckles.

"Good one, Potter," Draco chortled, amused by Harry's answer and excited that Harry was talking to him, just him. Up until this point, he usually seemed to avoid talking to Draco directly, but now the tension between the two had eased some with that little joke. So, they were able to relax a little bit and talk amiably for a couple more minutes until they ran out of things to say. Then, that same uncomfortable silence returned, though not as uncomfortable as before. Draco finally sighed and stood up. "I'm going to go see if he did indeed fall in.. be back in a minute, Potter," he said and grinned slightly when Harry laughed about someone falling into the toilet.

Harry sat and watched Draco walk away. While he waited, he absently sipped his butterbeer, but he did not have to wait long for Draco to return, and when the blond returned, he was in a panic. Harry kept a cautious eye on Draco as the blond threw himself back into his chair, gray eyes worried while the blond boy bit his lip anxiously. He waited on Draco to say something, but when no word came from the frowning, worried boy, Harry caved in.

"Um... Draco?" Harry asked carefully, and when Draco glanced up at him, he inquired, "Is something wrong?"

Draco bit at his lip again, as if it were a habit, or fast becoming one. He did not know if he should bring it up, or if it was really nothing, but he finally decided to tell Harry. "Blaise is gone... He wasn't in the restroom, and I even glanced around here when I came out of the restrooms... What if.. what if something happened to him?" he asked quietly and looked down at the tabletop, clutching his butterbeer so hard his knuckles were turning even paler than his all ready light complexion.

"I'm sure he's fine," Harry replied in a comforting tone as he tried and failed to calm the blond down. "Maybe you just missed him?" he asked, thinking up as many possibilities as he could. "Here, I'll go check," he offered when Draco began to glare at him and tell him that something was wrong. He sighed and stood up before hurrying to the restroom and looking around.

When Harry returned, he had a thoughtful frown on his face. "Maybe something came up," he said when Draco looked like he was about to freak out even worse.

"If something came up as you say," Draco snarled, "then why wouldn't he come by and at least tell us first?" he asked rhetorically. When Harry attempted to answer him, he scowled and said, "he wouldn't tell us if he were in some kind of trouble... That would be just like him.. Or what if one of the Death Eaters got him...? Oh my god..." His gray eyes grew wide, and he stood up, heading outside the pub.

"Draco, wait," Harry called after the blond, but Draco didn't seem to hear him as he tried to calmly leave, looking as classy as usual. The Gryffindor left behind groaned and hurried after the concerned blond. "Draco?" he asked when he got outside. He was unable to spot Draco in the crowd at the moment, but after another look around, he saw Draco standing in front of one of Honeyduke's windows. "Draco," he sighed, relieved to have found Draco, and panted for breath after running to catch the blond in case he wanted to run off again, "it'll be okay. We'll find him..."

"No need... I've found him," Draco's cold tone caused Harry to look up in surprise at the blond, and Harry was startled to see a glare on Draco's face, even more surprised to see the hurt and betrayal hiding behind those gray eyes. So, the Gryffindor followed the blond's gaze, looking into the window.

"What are you on about, Draco?" Harry asked as he moved his gaze from Draco's angry form to look through the window. "Oh," he said dumbly upon seeing Blaise, Ron, and Hermione all talking to one another. "There he is! See? He's fine," Harry grinned at Draco and added, "Come on, let's go in and join them." He started for the door, expecting Draco to come.

"No!" Draco thundered, angry tears rushing to his eyes, and he furiously wiped the tears away with his hand. "No, I won't," he refused again and took off down the street at a sprint. He was headed for the Shrieking Shack. It was somewhat secluded, and at the moment, he really wanted to have some alone time.

"Draco?" Harry asked, brow furrowing and a frown marring his face in concern as he watched Draco run off. He looked back through the window to Blaise, Ron, and Hermione, contemplating going in there and getting their help with Draco, but Draco seemed to be angry with Blaise, so Harry sighed and took off after the blond on his own. Just as he disappeared from view, the three inside Honeydukes exited the candy store and headed for The Three Broomsticks, only to find Harry and Draco not there.

"Oh no," Blaise said inside The Three Broomsticks as he looked to the table he, Draco, and Harry had been sitting at. He felt his stomach drop, wondering why the two were not there anymore and why he had the feeling that Draco was very upset somehow. Perhaps this idea had indeed been a bad one like Ron had said. "Come on.. something's went wrong," he told the other two and walked back out of the pub, looking both ways while he tried to decide which way to go. He and the other two Gryffindors behind him went the complete opposite direction that Harry and Draco had went.

Meanwhile, Harry, panting desperately for breath, came upon the Shrieking Shack. He looked around for Draco and barely noticed a blond head sitting on the other side of a big tree root. Cautiously, the Boy-Who-Lived crept forward and peeked over the root, looking down at Draco, who had curled himself up into what he supposed was a human ball, angry tears on his face. "Draco?" Harry asked softly as he moved slowly around the root to sit down on Draco's other side.

Draco's gaze swept up to meet Harry's for a moment before he turned his face away again, not saying anything. He moved over some though, allowing Harry to move to where he was sitting more comfortably than just a squat. The two sat in silence, Harry not knowing what to say and Draco not wanting to say anything, but someone had to break the silence sooner or later, and the one to do that was Harry.

"Are you all right?" he asked tentatively. When Draco did not answer him, he sighed, "What's wrong? Blaise was just in there talking to Ron and Hermione... Maybe he couldn't come tell us because Ron and Hermione called him straight over," he suggested, trying to smooth things over.

Draco's eyes narrowed at Harry. "They called him over all the way from inside Honeydukes?" he snapped at the raven-haired boy, "or did Blaise just not want to hang out with me and found Hermione and Ron after he gave us the slip?" he added disdainfully, "If Blaise didn't want to stay, then he should have just said so..." He clenched his fists tightly and glared at the ground before him.

"Draco, I don't know," Harry moaned from beside the blond, "but let's not jump to any conclusions right now, okay?" he asked, all ready tired of chasing Draco all over Hogsmeade. He was sure that whatever had just occurred was all a misunderstanding somehow. When Draco snorted in reply to not jumping to conclusions, Harry sighed again and said, "It'll be fine. Come on, let's go find the others... We can talk about this then finish enjoying our day." He pushed himself up off the ground before offering a hand to help Draco up.

Draco hesitated, looking from the Gryffindor's hand up to Harry's face and back to the hand. After a moment, he slid his hand into Harry's and allowed the boy to help him up, just barely able to keep the blush on his face at bay. The blond knew something was not right here... The two were way too close than was necessary, though it had been accident and merely a result of Harry pulling Draco up too quickly and with too much strength. Before he could stop himself, however, Draco had reached forward and pressed a kiss to Harry's lips, his gray eyes fluttering at the wonderful feeling that it sparked inside of him.

At the startled gasp Draco heard from Harry after pulling away, the blond seemed to regain his senses, and his eyes grew wide in horror and understanding as to what he had just done. "H-Harry, I," he stammered and stepped back as far as he could, a tree pushing up against his back from behind to keep him from backing away any farther. He clenched his eyes shut and turned his head away from Harry, not wanting to see the Gryffindor's face. To be honest, he was half expecting a good punch in the jaw, but after a few moments of no pain, he cautiously slid one eye open to squint at Harry and see if the boy was waiting for him to drop his guard.

Harry was standing there with a dazed look on his face, one hand raised to his face so that his fingers could absently brush over his just-kissed lips. "Um, Draco?" he asked suddenly and fixed his gaze on Draco's, "Did you just... did you...?"

"Yes, I did," Draco admitted shamefaced, and he collapsed back onto the ground, pulling his knees up to hug them and bury his face in his knee caps. "M'sorry," he added quietly, voice muffled.

Harry seemed to snap fully out of his daze. "What? You're sorry?" he asked and knelt down on the ground in front of Draco. "Why are you sorry?" he asked softly, anxiously.

"Because," Draco's voice could barely be heard, but he said that one word as if it was the only answer he could give that would provide all the answer that Harry needed. The Boy-Who-Lived kept prodding carefully, however, so Draco was forced to give more than just a one-word answer. "Nothing, Harry... just don't give it another thought.. s'not important..."

"What if I don't want to forget about it?" Harry asked after a moment's pause, eying the way Draco's head snapped up and how the blond's eyes were wide with surprise. He smiled and said, "I'm not completely opposed to the idea of us being more than friends... though I have to say it's a bit of a surprise for me..." He let his voice trailed off and sheepishly scratched the back of his head, wishing Draco would say something, but the blond only sat and stared at him in complete shock. Then, Harry got an idea and offered Draco his hand again, "Draco? How about we put off finding the others...? We can just walk around and visit wherever you like..."

Draco scowled suddenly at Harry and stated matter-o-factly, "I'm not going to be the girl in this relationship, Harry."

Harry laughed and nodded. "All right," he conceded, "we'll go wherever we feel like going at the time... How does that sound?" he asked the blond.

"Sounds lovely," Draco smirked in reply and took the offered hand, heaving himself up to his feet with Harry. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, but then Harry squeezed Draco's hand experimentally and walked forward, tugging Draco behind him for a ways before he and Draco shared a look and agreed that that was not something that needed to be seen in Hogsmeade. If any of the Slytherins caught wind of it, there would surely be even more trouble.

So, Harry and Draco returned to the main road leading through Hogsmeade. They saw Blaise, Ron, and Hermione coming down the road and quickly dodged into an alleyway to avoid them. They wanted another while to themselves if at all possible. Once the coast was clear, they headed for Honeydukes Sweetshop.

"Oh, look, Chocoballs," Draco said and pointed to some chocolates filled with strawberry mousse and clotted cream. He envied the pile of sweets Harry had piled up in his arms when he joined Draco over to the Chocoballs display, but he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to ruin whatever he had with Harry.

Harry eyed Draco when the blond was looking around the shop. When he was about to pay for his purchases, he ushered Draco over to the window to keep a look out for Ron, Hermione, and Blaise, telling him that they would need to catch up with them eventually, but while Draco was watching out for the other three, Harry hurried around, picking out most of things Draco had been looking at. He paid for all of it, his purchases and the sweets for Draco then asked the person at the counter if he could possibly have it delivered to Hogwarts the next morning to Draco Malfoy. He managed to wrap up his business just in time for Draco to return and ask him if he was done yet. "Yeah, I'm all ready to go now," he said and grinned.

Once out of the sweet shop, Harry opened up some of the Cockroach Clusters, offering Draco some. They walked down to Zonko's and knocked around in there for a few minutes, buying a few things that were not much worth mentioning, then they began seriously searching for Blaise, Ron, and Hermione, much to Draco's disapproval. When they finally found them, Draco scowled at Blaise and refused to talk to anyone, trying to stay as close to Harry as he could, which the other three noticed and shared a grin at.

They returned to Hogwarts and settled down to try and talk things out in the same unused classroom as always. Harry had to referee between Draco and Blaise because soon Blaise became irritable because Draco was not talking to him, and the two would tell Harry to tell the other one something, but that's for another chapter.

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Kyla: Well, that's the end of this chapter... Hope you liked it! Oh, and Chocoballs are sold in Honeydukes.. I checked around online, lol. xD I'll try to update as soon as possible. 


	23. Chapter 23

Kyla: Here's the next chapter! Heh, sorry, I haven't really had much inspiration to write lately... and it's really killing me... I thought I would take a small breather from "Hush, Potter" and update this story. I also have another HPDM story in the making. I have yet to start posting it though... I wanna try and plan it a little better this time, haha, but enjoy the chapter! I hope it's not too short or awful.

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Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer  
Chapter 23  
by  
Kyla

"Draco," Blaise whined that night as they sat snacking on Harry's Honeydukes purchases, "you haven't talked to me since we met up again! What did I do wrong?"

Draco narrowed his eyes at his friend but didn't say a word. He merely plopped a lemon drop in his mouth, sucking on it idly and refusing to acknowledge Blaise in the least. When his friend leaned forward and tried to touch the blond's arm, he drew away, sliding closer and closer to Harry, as if seeking protection.

Harry sighed and wrapped his arm around Draco's waist. "I think Draco's mad at you for giving us the slip this morning," he explained to his friends, his face blushing slightly at the looks he was receiving for the bold statement that he and Draco were now going out.

"What?" Blaise asked anxiously, his face draining of color.

"That's right, Blaise," Draco snarled, eyes not daring to open and look over to his friend. He sat stiff in his chair, thankful to feel Harry's arm around his waist. He leaned slightly into the Gryffindor's embrace, a lemon drop rolling around on his tongue angrily. "After you went to the restroom, as you claimed, I started to get worried, so I went to check on you, but you weren't there. You weren't even in The Three Broomsticks anymore! I saw you with those two Gryffindors in Zonko's," he stated coldly and nodded to Hermione and Ron.

"Oh."

"Draco," Hermione began, but the blond silenced her with a glare.

Now that Draco had started, he had to keep going. He scowled fiercely at Blaise and said spitefully, "If you didn't want to hang out with me, you could have just said so... instead of sneaking away and worrying me, you bastard."

Blaise gaped at his best friend. "It's not that I didn't want to hang out with you! It's never because of that! You have to believe me," he said anxiously. He leaned closer to his friend in worry but the blond only moved closer to Harry and further away from the his best friend. "Harry, you have to make him understand," he said desperately. He hated having Draco mad at him.

Harry sighed, wanting this issue resolved, and said, "don't you think you should forgive him? He said that it wasn't because he didn't want to hang out."

"No," Draco argued, "he has yet to say why he ditched us... I'm not forgiving him." He tried to look nonchalant about it all, but seeing Blaise furiously trying to make up with him was really getting to him. He didn't want to forgive him so easily though, and so continued to glare at him.

"Confession time," Blaise released a gusty sigh, his gaze flickering from Ron and Hermione to Harry and then back to Draco, "I'm so sorry... I gave you the slip because we were trying to get you together with Harry, and since you wouldn't take a step forward yourself, I planned today out with Hermione... I was going to ditch you guys and let the two of you have some alone time today," he explained, face expressing his sincere apology. "I really didn't think that you would be this mad... Please, forgive me."

Draco crumbled at the look on his best friend's face.. "All right, I forgive you," he murmured, a small smile settling on his lips when Blaise whooped and launched forward to hug the blond boy. "Just don't do that again! You really had me worried... I had thought the Death Eaters had gotten you or something," he said fondly and returned the other's hug.

"Right, sorry about that," Blaise replied sheepishly and sat back in his chair.

"So," Hermione spoke up slyly, her gaze taunting Harry, "I see you and Draco are getting cozy together... Is there something that you haven't told us yet?" Ron's face tinged green when he saw Harry and Draco shyly grin at each other.

"Actually, yeah," Harry said, "we're going out now." He smiled proudly and hugged Draco to him, willing away the blush that tried to creep its way onto his cheeks when he heard Hermione cooing and Blaise congratulating Draco. "Ron?" he asked uncertainly, noting the odd coloring of his friend's face.

The redhead shook his head from side to side and cleared his thoughts. "No, it's all right, mate," he said, still looking a little green, "I just have to get used to the idea." He smiled at his friend to reinforce that he would be okay with Harry and Draco going out. 

"Thanks."

"No problem," Ron replied with a brotherly pat on Harry's shoulder.

"It's getting late," Hermione said, turning everyone's attention to the time. "We should head up to the Common Room soon."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Harry sighed. While Hermione and Ron stood up and started gathering their things, the Boy-Who-Lived nuzzled Draco's cheek and kissed his forehead softly. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" he asked and began to draw away.

"All right," Draco replied happily, "see you tomorrow..." As Harry left, Draco practically glowed, and Blaise could see the difference, could see how happy the blond was now. The gray-eyed boy sighed dreamily as the last of the Golden Trio left, the door closing behind them.

"So, you and Harry are finally together," Blaise said conversationally, a teasing grin on his face, and elbowed Draco.

Draco flushed a bright red and nodded, a shy smile on his lips. "Yeah, we're together now... erm... thanks, Blaise..." He fiddled with the bag of lemon drops that Harry had left him. Who knew that Draco's favorite candy would turn out to be of muggle origin? And why they sold it in Honeydukes was a mystery, but hey, he wasn't complaining. He happily plopped another lemon drop into his mouth and offered a candy to his friend.

Blaise accepted the candy with a nod before popping it into his mouth. "No problem," he snickered at the other boy, having too much fun teasing him. They sat around talking until curfew had passed, then, as usual, they sneaked into their dormitory and settled down for a few hours' rest.

The next morning, Draco gave a silent moan when Blaise woke him up. He really hated going to bed late and getting up early in the morning. He had contemplated sleeping late, daring his house mates to try something. He needed sleep, and he felt really annoyed at constantly having to get up so early.

"Draco," Blaise hissed in his ears, "hurry! Get up!" He yanked the sheets off the blond boy, watching as he shivered and drew into a ball.

Draco reluctantly pulled himself out of bed and hurried to gather the things he would need for the day. Once the duo were ready and safely out of the dormitory, they headed for the usual unused classroom that was their unofficial hang out. "I can't keep doing this, Blaise," Draco said through a big yawn.

"Well, we can't stay in the dormitory," Blaise said with a sigh, "there's no telling what our house mates might do."

"We're supposed to be safe here at Hogwarts," Draco whined under his breath and idly kicked a stray rock that had likely fallen from someone's shoe the day before. It flew to the side and bounced off the wall, the noise echoing around the two in the near-silent hallway. Murmurs from portraits followed them, and they did not speak again until they were settled in their usual hang out place.

"We are safe... As safe as we can be anyway," Blaise sighed as he settled himself into a chair.

"Blaise, I'm serious...! We have a Transfiguration test today, and at this rate, I won't be able to stay awake long enough to do decent on it," Draco grumbled and seated himself beside his best friend. He yawned wide, causing Blaise to let loose a big yawn as well.

It was early. The sun had yet to rise, and the rest of the castle would not even begin stirring until the rays of the morning sun peeked over the horizon. Until then, Blaise and Draco attempted some of their homework but found that they were too tired to be able to concentrate. It was then that Harry popped in.

"You guys look dead on your feet," the Gryffindor noted as he sat on the tabletop in front of Blaise and Draco.

"Probably because we are," Draco muttered darkly and glared a look of death at the floor. His body kept feeling heavier and heavier, his eyes wanting to fall shut and not open again for a few more hours.

"I'm sorry," Harry apologized and shifted uncomfortably. He felt bad because he could always sleep in, but Blaise and Draco were unable to do so. "Why don't you guys take a nap then? I'll wake you for breakfast," he offered.

"I might just take you up on that offer," Draco yawned again and cushioned his head on his crossed arms beside Harry, who began thumbing his fingers through the Slytherin's blond locks of hair.

"Me too," Blaise said and rubbed some leftover sleep from his eyes.

Harry grinned at the two Slytherins and watched as they tried to drift off to sleep. They really did look tired, now that the Gryffindor thought about it. They had been going to bed long after Harry and his friends, and waking up only a few hours later. He frowned and murmured, "How are you guys keeping up in your classes?" he asked quietly, "What about that Transfiguration test today...?"

Draco groaned and shifted from his uncomfortable position. "I suppose all we can do is hope that we studied enough," he mumbled and scowled suddenly, spitting out, "I can't sleep... it's not comfortable at all in here...! This table is hard and hurts my neck and my back laying like I am..."

"I agree," Blaise sighed and pushed himself up to a sitting position.

"Well, maybe if you.. lay on the floor or up against each other..?"

Draco pushed himself to his feet, cursing having to sleep on the floor. He stood there momentarily before sagging against Harry and wrapping his arms around the other boy's neck. He gave a contented sigh, almost asleep again, but his feet were all ready protesting the fact of him sleeping while he stood. "Can you sit on the floor with me?" the blond murmured desperately.

"Sure," Harry said uncertainly but moved to settle on the floor, his back against the wall. He wrapped an arm around Draco's shoulders, an affectionate grin growing on his face when his boyfriend cuddled closer to him, settling his blond head on his shoulder and allowing a content sigh to pass through his lips.

"Lucky," Blaise grumbled to himself, a half smile on his face as he looked on at the couple. Draco had all ready fallen asleep, proving just how exhausted the boy actually was. Blaise just wished he had someone he could use as a pillow and rest up too, but at least Draco was asleep. Blaise would survive somehow.

Harry hesitated a moment, eyes darting from the top of Draco's head over to Blaise and back again. "Er, you can come down here too," he offered the other Slytherin uncertainly. "I mean," he said hastily at the amazed look Blaise sent him, "you don't have to, and I know it's awkward, but you need rest too, don't you? I'm sure Draco won't care," he babbled. 

Blaise eyed Harry before slowly pushing himself up. "You sure? You look awful nervous about something," he teased with a grin, that same unease bubbling up inside of him. He and Harry had been getting along fairly well as of late. However, this was still rather awkward. He wouldn't turn down the chance to get some much needed rest though.

"Yeah," Harry answered, "I'm sure... You need sleep just as badly anyway." When Blaise settled down on his other side, the Gryffindor's mind flashed back to when he had walked in on Blaise and Draco's, ah, intimate moment back in Grimmauld Place. Harry's discomfort only grew when he felt both Slytherin's heads settled on his shoulders.

"Thanks," Blaise muttered and leaned his tense shoulder against Harry's, cautiously letting his head lull to rest against Harry's shoulder. After a few moments, he began to relax, especially when Harry replied with a quiet, "you're welcome." He drifted off to sleep like Draco, his body sagging completely against Harry.

A soft smile touched Harry's lips when he heard two pairs of soft snores coming from both sides. _They really were tired..._ He sat somewhat uncomfortably between Blaise and Draco, arm coiled around Draco's middle, until Ron and Hermione opened the door. They were chatting with one another and looked startled when they were immediately hushed up by someone hissing, "Sh..!"

"Harry, what...?"

"They're both exhausted," Harry murmured gently, "and we have that Transfiguration test today... They tried to fall asleep earlier, but they couldn't get comfortable..."

"So you decided to act like a bloody cushion?" Ron asked.

"Ron," Harry sighed, "please don't start another fight... Just ignore it and let them rest."

"They do need some rest... That Transfiguration test we're taking today is supposed to be really hard," Hermione murmured and settled in one of the chairs. "How long have they been asleep?"

"Probably about an hour."

"Well, breakfast doesn't start for another half hour," Hermione said and scowled at Ron. She indicated sharply to a chair with her glare, nodding in mild satisfaction when the redhead flushed and decided not to say what he had wanted to. Instead, he seated himself immediately. "We'll let them sleep as long as possible."

"No need," a voice grumbled from Harry's side. Draco's blond head picked itself up, and his sleepy face put up its best glare. "It's not like anyone can get any rest with you three chattering like you are," he half-snarled.

Hermione threw Ron a quick, fierce look, daring him to say anything rude in retort to Draco's attitude, and the Weasley obediently fell silent, face flushed under Hermione's stern scrutiny.

"Not a morning person, hm?" Harry snickered as Draco pulled away and stretched his arms up as far as he could, yawning as he did so.

"Sometimes," Draco said crisply, bordering on the verge of irritation. "What about Blaise...?" He looked around and frowned when he did not immediately see Blaise, but then he heard his friend's snores, which drew the blond's eyes to look across Harry and see Blaise's head settled on the Gryffindor's shoulder. Draco gave his friend a small scowl.

"Relax, Draco," Harry said and kissed Draco's cheek. "He needed sleep just as bad as you did. He just took me up on my offer," he added quietly as he cupped the blond's chin and met Draco's eyes.

"Yes, you're right," Draco sighed. His countenance brightened considerably when he was rewarded with a kiss. He smiled at his boyfriend and settled his head back on Harry's shoulder, drawing random patterns on the front of Harry's robes. "Thank you," he added softly.

"Don't mention it."

* * *

Kyla: Okay, there's the end of the chapter. Thanks! I'll try to update again as soon as possible, haha. 


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